BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday announced candidates for one Lok Sabha and nine Assembly constituencies denying ticket to Finance Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera from Jayadev seat. However, putting all speculations to rest, the regional outfit has retained five time MP Bhartruhari Mahatab, BJD’s parliamentary party leader from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat.
A former Rajya Sabha member, Behera was elected from the constituency in 2014 elections by a margin of over 28,600 votes by defeating his nearest Congress rival Benudhar Bhoi. The BJD ticket this time has gone to former BJP minister Aurobindo Dhali who was elected from the constituency in 2009 elections. Dhali, who represented Malkangiri Assembly constituency as a BJP member from 1992 to 2000, had quit the saffron party in April, 2006.
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BJD has also denied ticket to former minister and senior leader Debasis Nayak from Bari Assembly constituency. The regional outfit has decided to field Sunanda Das, Chairperson of Bari block who quit BJP and joined BJD on Monday overlooking the claims of several party leaders including spokesperson Sulochana Das and state secretary Bijay Nayak.The BJD has shifted sitting MLA from Begunia Prashant Jagdev to Chilika to take on Prithviraj Harichandan of BJP.
Similarly, party’s sitting MLA from Khurda, Rajendra Kumar Sahoo has been shifted to Begunia constituency. Former MLA Jyotindranath Mitra who quit BJP to join BJD recently has been fielded from Khurda Assembly constituency.
The party has fielded Romancha Ranjan Biswal, a new face, from the Deogarh Assembly seat held by the BJP now. However, sitting MLA from Basta Nityanand Sahoo has been repeated from the seat.
The party has fielded Basanti Marandi in place of sitting Saiba Sushil Kumar Hansdah from Rairangpur. Similarly, sitting MLA and former minister Praveen Chandra Bhanjadeo has been replaced by former BJP vice-president in Morada seat.