Lok Sabha elections 2019: BJP gets a lawyer and former BJD man to fight Naveen Patnaik in Hinjili and Bijepur
Orissa High Court lawyer and state unit’s vice-president Pitambar Acharya will be the BJP’s candidate in Naveen Patnaik’s home turf of Hinjili in Ganjam district while former BJD veteran Sanat Gadtia has been nominated for Bijepur in Bargarh district
The Bharatiya Janata Party will field a Orissa High Court lawyer and former BJD veteran to fight chief minister Naveen Patnaik in Hinjili and Bijepur assembly constituencies respectively.
Orissa High Court lawyer and state unit’s vice-president Pitambar Acharya will be the BJP’s candidate in Naveen Patnaik’s home turf of Hinjili in Ganjam district while former BJD veteran Sanat Gadtia has been nominated for Bijepur in Bargarh district.
Acharya, who is also the party spokesperson, had joined the BJP last year. Gadtia had left the Biju Janata Dal for the BJP just ahead of the Bijepur assembly by-poll last year. In 2008, Gadtia had quit the BJP to join the BJD.
“Naveen Patnaik is afraid of Narendra Modi’s popularity for which he is also contesting from Bijepur. He has not worked for the people in Hinjili. The chief minister is misleading people for the last 19 years,” said Acharya.
On Monday, BJP leader Subash Chouhan had stirred a controversy after he wrote on Facebook that the party humiliated the OBCs of western Odisha by denying him a ticket for Bargarh Lok Sabha constituency. Chouhan said he had proposed the name of Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan for contesting against Patnaik in Bijepur but was shouted down.
“As Pradhan is rich and powerful, he should have contested against the chief minister in Bijepur,” Chouhan wrote in his Facebook post.
The Congress, on the other hand, replaced its candidate for Hinjili on Monday night, fielding Sambhunath Panigrahi in place of Ramkrishna Panda.
Naveen Patnaik has won from Hinjili in the last four elections and is seeking re-election for the fifth time from the constituency. He will be contesting from two assembly segments for the first time.
The BJP has so far announced candidates for 131 of the 147 assembly constituencies. And the ruling party has named its candidates for 65 assembly seats.
The Odisha assembly election 2019 in Hinjili and Bijepur will be held in the second phase of polling on April 18. The result will be declared on May 23.