-By Tapan Moharana
Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday released its second list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Odisha.BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the second list of 27 candidates for Assembly polls through a video message. He also released third list of candidates for five Lok Sabha seats. With this announcement, the BJD has already declared candidates for 99 out of total 147 assembly seats and 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats.
However, the party is yet to announce its candidate from the Balasore Lok Sabha seat to fight against BJP’s Pratap Sarangi. According to sources, BJD is in talks with several candidates including former MP Ravindra Jena. Likewise, the Congress party also is yet to declare its candidate for Balasore.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP’s Pratap Sarangi defeated Ravindra in a narrow margin of 12,956 votes. The Congress candidate Nabajyoti Patnaik stood third with 1,79,403 votes.
BJD list for 27 Assembly and 5 Lok Sabha seats
The Naveen Patnaik-led party has re-nominated several of its sitting legislators. Dipali Das, who had won the by-election to Jharsuguda Assembly constituency held following the murder of his father and the then Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, has been given ticket for the same seat.
BJD Has Repeated 4 Sitting MPs Out of 20 Lok Sabha Candidates Announced So Far. These candidates are Dr. Achuyta Samanta, Sarmistha Sethi Rajashree Mallick Manjulata Mandal.
Meanwhile, the party has fielded 11 candidates who did not contest in 2019 lok sabha polls. They are-Pranab Prakash Das Lambodhar Nial, Sudam Marandi, Anshuman Mohanty, Manmath Routray, Ranjita Sahu, Abinash Samal, Santrupt Misra, Surendra Singh Bhoi, Parinita Mishra , Dhananjay Sidhu.
4 of the candidates fought in the 2019 lok sabha polls, but were defeated- Arup Patnaik Kaushalya Hikaka Bhrugu Buxipatra Pradeep Majhi.