BJD's Kaushalya Hikaka vows victory in Koraput, thanks CM for candidature

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 1 (ANI): Kaushalya Hikaka, leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for nominating her to contest the upcoming elections from Koraput constituency for the second time.
"I want to thank the Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik for giving me the opportunity to contest elections from Koraput for the second time," Kaushalya Hikaka said.
Reflecting on her previous electoral setback in 2019, Hikaka remained resolute.
"In the last election (2019), I lost the seat, but this time, I will win. Lots of work has been done for the development of the people of Koraput," Kaushalya Hikaka said.
Meanwhile, Popular Odia filmstar and former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Akash Das Nayak joined the BJP in the presence of Odisha BJP state president Manmohan Samal at party headquarters in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
Nayak, an Odia film superstar, quit Biju Janta Dal (BJD) on Saturday, expressing his resentment over the functioning of the party.
Earlier on March 30, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Ranjita Sahu thanked Odisha Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik for offering her the opportunity to contest from the Aska Lok Sabha constituency.
"I want to thank our chief minister and our party president, Naveen Patnaik, sir for giving me a platform and an opportunity to serve the people of Aska Lok Sabha constituency," said Ranjita Sahu.
Naveen Patnaik will re-contest from the Hinjili Assembly constituency for a sixth term.
In 2000, Patnaik became the chief minister of Odisha for the first time.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) emerged as the dominant party, securing 20 out of the 21 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a single seat.
Odisha has 21 parliamentary constituencies. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) got the maximum number of seats, followed by the BJP and the Congress.
The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8 seats and the Congress bagged just a lone seat.
The Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, which comprise 21 constituencies, are set to take place in four phases.
The voting dates have been scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. (ANI)