BHUBANESWAR: BJD has deferred the process of selecting candidate for Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat as three serious contenders have emerged for the constituency which will go to polls in the fourth phase on May 13.
Sources said party’s Rajya Sabha member Sujeet Kumar, senior leader Bhupinder Singh and Ajit Mishra, who resigned as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) are in the race for a ticket for the Lok Sabha seat which the BJD wants to wrest from the BJP.
As BJP is considering to field Arka Keshari Deo, a former BJD MP who recently joined the saffron party, sources said the regional outfit deferred its decision after the collapse of alliance talks. Besides, the possibility of Congress fielding former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das is likely to the change the political scenario in the constituency.
Kumar, Singh and Mishra attended BJD’s meeting presided over by party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas on Friday, but none of them has yet been given final clearance.
Sources, however, said candidates for the Assembly seats except Narla have been finalised. While former minister and present Kalahandi district president Pushpendra Singhdeo will contest from Dharamgarh, former minister Dibyashankar Mishra is likely to be repeated from Junagarh.
Adhiraj Panigrahy, the sitting MLA from Khariar who quit Congress to join BJD, is likely to be fielded from the same seat while Pradip Dishari, the sitting MLA from Lanjigarh will be repeated. The party has decided to field Lalita Naik, wife of former Dushmanta Naik from Bhawanipatna.
However, candidate for Narla has not been finalised as sitting MLA Bhupinder Singh is being considered by the party for the Lok Sabha seat. He is likely to fielded from Narla again, if he does not get the ticket for Lok Sabha seat.