BJD announces candidate list for 5 Lok Sabha, 27 assembly seats

The ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha is now left to announce candidates for Balasore Lok sabha seat and 48 assembly seats

Published on: Apr 3, 2024, 20:01:34 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday announced the second list of 27 candidates for the Assembly polls and five for the Lok Sabha polls in Odisha.

BJD leader and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. (File)

Three of the Assembly candidates are new faces. In Mahanga, MLA Pratap Jena’s son Ankit Pratap Jena got the party ticket as Jena is in hot waters after the court of judicial magistrate First Class (JMFC), Salipur, took cognisance of offences against him as an accused in the Mahanga double murder case.

In Moroda, MLA Rajkishore Das’ wife Pritinanda Kanungo got the party ticket. In Badasahi assmebly constituency of Mayurbhanj, wife of former BJD MLA Ganeswar Patra would be the party candidate.

Dipali Das, who won the by-election to Jharsuguda Assembly constituency last year after the murder of her father Naba Das, who was the then health minister, was given a ticket for the same seat.

Similarly, Brajarajnagar MLA Alaka Mohanty, who had won the bypoll following the demise of her husband Kishore Mohanty in 2022, has been repeated by the party for the same Assembly constituency.

For the Lok Sabha, the BJD has rewarded two turncoats.

In Berhampur Lok Sabha seat, it gave ticket to Bhrugu Buxipatra, hours after he left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from where he was the party candidate in the last Lok Sabha polls.

In Bargarh Lok Sabha seat, the party ticket was given to Parineeta Mishra, wife of BJP leader Sushant Mishra, who recently left his old party to join the BJD.

The party is yet to announce candidates for Balasore Lok sabha seat and 48 assembly seats.

Beginning May 13, elections to the 147 seats in the state assembly and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha will take place on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.

The counting of votes will take place on June 4.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More