Congress releases list of 4 candidates for Odisha Assembly polls, Biren Senapati gets Rourkela

The Congress on Monday released its third list of 4 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Odisha following the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to give a final shape to the party's election strategies ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha and Assembly polls scheduled to be held between April and May.

"Congress party releases a list of 4 candidates for the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Odisha," the news agency ANI reported.

Muktikanta Biswal, who was given a ticket from Rourkela Assembly constituency in the second list, has been replaced by Biren Senapati in the third list. The party has fielded Shambhunath Panigrahi in place of Ram Krishna Panda from Hinjili Lok Sabha constituency. Other two members in the list include Ramesh Purohit and Shyamghan Pradhan who will be contesting from Patnagarh and G Udayagiri-ST constituencies respectively.

Congress party releases list of 4 candidates for the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Odisha. pic.twitter.com/5AfJEmOlg6

— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2019

Read | Congress releases list of 26 candidates in Maharashtra, West Bengal

The opposition Congress, which was routed in Odisha in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and put up a poor performance in the simultaneous assembly polls, has so far announced candidates for 94 of the 147 assembly constituencies in the state.

In 2014 Assembly elections, the ruling Biju Janata Dal, upon gaining the majority of seats (117) formed the government again, with incumbent Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, continuing office for another term. The Congress ended up bagging 17 seats followed by the BJP, which managed to win only 10 assembly constituencies in the state.

2019 Odisha Assembly Elections is scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. General elections in the state will take place in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The counting of votes for all phases will be taken up on May 23, 2019.