Feature: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled its list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, disclosing nominees for 18 out of the total 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The announcement came late Sunday evening, following a rigorous deliberation by the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party, which convened for over three hours on Saturday to discuss aspirants for all constituencies.
Among the prominent names, Aparajita Sarangi has been renominated by the BJP for the prestigious Bhubaneswar seat, while the candidate for Cuttack is yet to be announced. Notably, there was speculation surrounding the selection of President Droupadi Murmu’s daughter, Itishree Murmu, for the Mayurbhanj seat; however, the ticket has been awarded to Naba Charan Majhi. This move marks the party’s decision to drop Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu, who represented the constituency reserved for scheduled tribes in 2019.
Meanwhile, former minister and sitting MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi has been renominated by the BJP for the Balasore Lok Sabha seat, with Abhimanyu Sethi receiving the ticket for Bhadrak. Additionally, Sambit Patra, the national spokesperson of the party, has been nominated for Puri for the second consecutive term.
In other key nominations, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be contesting from Sambalpur, while Jual Oram will continue his candidacy from Sundargarh. Baijayant Panda, the party’s national vice-president, has been declared the BJP’s candidate for the Kendrapada constituency.
The BJP’s list also includes Pradeep Panigrahi, a new entrant to the party, who has been given the ticket for the Berhampur seat, and Anita Subhadarshini, who will be contesting from the Aska constituency in Ganjam district.
Noteworthy changes have been made with regard to sitting MPs, as four incumbents have been replaced in the nominations:
- Paradip Purohit will replace Suresh Pujari in Bargarh.
- Dharmendra Pradhan will replace Nitish Gangdeb in Sambalpur.
- Malvika Keshari Deo will replace Basant Panda in Kalahandi.
- Nabacharan Majhi will replace Bisweshwar Tudu in Mayurbhanj.
According to sources, the BJP may field these ousted MPs as candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections.
The list of candidates released by the BJP is as follows:
The release of the candidate list by the BJP sets the stage for what promises to be an intriguing electoral battle in Odisha, with the party aiming to consolidate its position in the state.
