BJD announces names of 18 candidates, drops 6 sitting MLAs

The ruling Biju Janata Dal on Friday announced the names of 18 candidates for the upcoming state Assembly election, denying ticket to six sitting MLAs. Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik re-nominated two ministers - Maheswar Mohanty for Puri and Chandrasarathi Behera for Barabati-Cuttack seats and party’s chief whip Amar Prasad Satpathy from Badachana assembly segment.

The party has denied tickets to Jatani MLA Bhagirathi Badjena, Rangali MLA Ramesh Patua, Jashipur MLA Mangal Singh Mudi, Saraskana MLA Bhadav Hansda, Badasahi MLA Ganeswar Patra and Bhadrak MLA Jugal Kishore Patnaik.

As Tirtol MLA Rajashree Mallick has been fielded as the BJD candidate from Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha seat, her seat has gone to Bishnu Das, a former minister and Rajya Sabha MP. The BJD has fielded Damodar Rout’s son Sambit Routray in Paradip assembly segment, the seat held by his father.

Damador Rout is now with the BJP after his expulsion from the BJD and is the BJP candidate for Ersama-Balikuda assembly seat. Patnaik has also renominated Barabati-Cuttack MLA Debashis Samantray.

While Dhruba Charan Sahoo will fight the polls from Rajnagar seat, BJD has fielded Parsuram Dhada (Soro), Sanjeev Mallick (Bhadrak), Brundaban Das (Badasahi), Aswini Patra (Jaleswar), Jiban Pradeep Dash (Balasore), Srinath Soren (Udala), Amar Singh Tudu (Saraskana), Sudam Marandi (Bangriposi), Golekh Bihari Nayak (Jasipur), Reena Tanty (Rengali) and Bibhuti Balabantaray (Jatani).

With Friday’s announcement of 18 candidates, the BJD has so far announced candidates for 119 seats out of the 147 assembly segments in the state.

The BJD is yet to announce names of candidates for three Lok Sabha seats - Cuttack, Dhankanal and Keonjhar. Assembly election and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha will be he held simultaneously in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29.