BHUBANESWAR: The suspense over BJP’s candidate for Khurda Assembly seat finally ended with the party fielding Chilika MLA Prasanta Kumar Jagadev over Kalucharan Khandeitaray, a strong contender.
Jagadev’s name figured in the fourth list of eight candidates released by the central election committee of BJP on Saturday. A resident of Tangi block in Khurda district, Jagadev was first elected to the Assembly on a BJD ticket from Begunia in 2014 and then from Chilika in 2019. He was expelled from BJD in 2022 and had joined the BJP in March this year.
Expressing his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, a visibly elated Jagdev asserted the fight in Khurda will be one-sided with BJP winning the seat.
Simarani Nayak, a two-time BJD MLA from Hindol who joined BJP recently after denial of a renomination from the seat by the regional party has been named from the constituency by the saffron party. The BJD preferred its Lok Sabha MP from Dhenkanal Mahesh Sahu over Nayak.
Two other BJD turncoats have also been rehabilitated. Actor-turned-politician Arindam Roy has been fielded from Salipur. Roy quit BJD after learning that his chances of getting a party ticket were weak.
The BJP was in search of a candidate for the Assembly seat after Cuttack district unit president of the party Prakash Chandra Behera jumped over to BJD and got nominated from Cuttack-Barabati seat. A former Congress MLA, Behera was BJP nominee from Salipur in 2019.
The party has nominated Rabindra Andia, a former BJD leader from Baliapal from Basta. Andia who started his political career from Congress had joined BJD before the 2014 elections hoping for a party ticket from Basta. He quit the regional party after nomination of Subasini Jena, wife for former Balasore MP Rabindra Jena.
The BJP had a surprise pick in Banikalyan Mohanty for Basudevpur Assembly constituency. A student leader from Ravenshaw College, Mohanty is a political greenhorn.Basudevpur is a pocket burrow of Bishnubrata Routray, son of former minister late Bijayshree Routray and grandson of former chief minister Nilamani Routray.
As expected the BJP has again reposed confidence on Murali Manohar Shama for Champua. The party named Fakir Mohan Naik for Telkoi (ST) and Geetanjali Sethi for Kendrapara (SC).