BHUBANESWAR: Congress will release its second list of candidates for Lok Sabha and Assembly seats by April 15.
President of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sarat Pattanayak told media persons, the list of probable candidates will be discussed at the screening committee meeting on Saturday. The central election committee (CEC) is likely to meet on April 14 to approve the list after it is cleared by the screening committee, he added.
Denying the perception that Congress does not have suitable candidates to field in all Assembly and Lok Sabha seats, Pattanayak said the party is capable of giving a tough fight to BJD and BJP. Congress does not believe in friendly fight as is the case with BJD and BJP, he said adding the party will win 90 Assembly seats in the ensuing elections.
Claiming Congress will form the next government this time, he said there is a wave for change in Odisha, which has remained backward despite the 24-year rule of BJD. “People have made up their minds and the Naveen Patnaik government will fall. It will be similar to the ouster of West Bengal’s Communist government after 34 years in power,” he added.
The OPCC president said the exodus of leaders from Congress to BJD and BJP will have no impact on the performance of the party in the elections. This is election time and such things happen in all political parties, he said adding leaders are also resigning from the BJD and BJP. The Congress has so far declared candidates for only eight Lok Sabha and 47 Assembly seats.