Elections 2019 : Several celebrity candidates lose ticket as BJD releases its first list of candidates
Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) which is rulling Odisha for the 4th term in a row, today announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha and State Assembly Elections. BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the candidates for nine Lok Sabha and 54 assembly constituencies.
While the CM himself will contest from two seats-Hingili and Bijepur, former Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu will contest from Berhampur parliamentary constituency and former minister Pushpendra Singh Deo will fight from Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat. Minister Ramesh Majhi will contest from Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat.
Meanwhile, celebrity candidates like movie star Siddhant Mohapatra and former Indian Hockey captain Dilip Tirkey have not been given ticket.
Sunita Biswal, daughter of former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal, will be MP candidate for Sundargarh. Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo will contest again from Bolangir Lok Sabha constituency. Two Rajya Sabha MPs Prasanna Acharya and Achyut Samanta will contest from Bargarh and Kandhamal parliamentary constituencies respectively. Kousalya Hikaka will fight from Koraput Lok Sabha constituency while Pramila Bisoi will be BJD’s MP candidate from Aska.
Candidates for 54 Assembly seats
Naveen Patnaik (Hinjli, Bijepur), Jagannath Sadak (Bissam Cuttack), Raghunath Gomango (Gunupur), Lal Bihari Himirika (Rayagada), Rabi Narayan Nanda (Jeypore), Snehangini Chhuria (Atabira), Bikram Panda (Berhampur), Raghunath Gomango (Gunupur), Usha Devi (Chikiti),Pradeep Panigrahi (Gopalpur), Surya Narayan Patro (Digapahandi), Prabhu Jani (Lakshmipur), Subash Chadra Behera (Chhatrapur), Sushant Singh (Bhatli), Naba Das (Jharsuguda), Purna Chandra Swain (Sorada), Bikram Keshari Arukha (Bhanjanagar), Manjula Swain (Aska), Pradeep Amat (Boudh), Ramesh Behera (Daspalla), Niranjan Pujari (Sonepur), Kalyani Gajapati (Paralakhemundi), Ajay Das (Kantabanjhi), Padmanav Behera (Biramaharajpur), Latika Pradhan (Kabisuryanagar), Srikant Sahu (Polsara), Nandini Devi (Sanakhemundi), KK Suryamani Baidya (Khallikote).