Congress to declare first list on April 2, Srikant likely from Balasore
BHUBANESWAR: Congress on Monday announced to declare the first list of its candidates on Tuesday. Prominent among those likely to feature in the first list include former Union minister Srikant Jena from Balasore Lok Sabha seat and former state president Prasad Harichandan from Puri Lok Sabha constituency.
Sources said the name of Sucharita Mohanty who had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 election was also under consideration. However, the party seemed to have zeroed in on the candidature of Harichandan for the prestigious seat. Harichandan will take on Arup Patnaik of BJD and Sambit Patra of BJP.
The party is, however, in a spot as far as the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat is concerned. It was considering to field Suresh Kumar Routray from the seat but since his son Manmath Routray has already been announced as the BJD candidate from the seat, Routray declined to contest as he will be busy campaigning for his son.
Sources said the party is likely to field either senior leader Sibananda Ray or the president of state unit of National Students’ Union of India Yasir Nawaz from the seat.
As per information, Congress will repeat Saptagiri Ulaka from the Koraput Lok Sabha seat. Similarly, while name of former MLA Bhujabal Majhi has been finalised for the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat, former president of Odisha Mahila Congress Sasmita Behera is likely to be the candidate from the Dhenakanal Lok Sabha seat.
OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak told mediapersons candidates for all 147 Assembly seats and some Lok Sabha seats have been discussed at the screening committee and central election committee meeting of the party at New Delhi on Sunday. “I think the list of candidates will be announced on Tuesday,” he added.