BJP Odisha Vice President Lekhasri Samantasinghar joins BJD

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 7 (ANI): Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and Odisha Assembly polls, former BJP vice-president Lekhasri Samantsinghar joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD) at the party office in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
The former BJP vice-president joined the party in the presence of BJD Rajya Sabha MP Manas Mangaraj and Sasmit Patra.
Earlier on Thursday, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik announced the second list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha.
BJD candidates for five Lok Sabha seats declared by the CM are Surendra Singh Bhoi from Balangir), Manjulata Mandal (Bhadrak), Parineeta Mishra (Bargarh), Bhrugu Baxipatra (Berhampur) and Dhanurjay Siddu (Keonjhar).
The names of 27 candidates for simultaneous assembly polls have also been announced.
The 27-member list released for the assembly elections included seven female candidates. They are Anusaya Patra (Badasahi), Preetinanda Kanungo (Morada), Alaka Mohanty (Brajrajnagar), Depali Das (Jharsuguda), Jayashree Kanhar (Phulbani), Suryamani Vaidya (Khalikote) and Majula Swain Aska.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier announced its first list of 112 candidates for the assembly polls in Odisha. The BJP has fielded Jayanta Kumar Sarangi from Puri, Prakash Chandra Sethi from Cuttack Sadar, and Jagannath Pradhan from Bhubaneswar Central.
Notably, in the 2019 Assembly polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured a significant victory with 112 seats, with Naveen Patnaik becoming CM for the fifth consecutive time since 2000.
The Election Commission announced that the elections in Odisha will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections and will be completed in four phases, starting from Phase one on May 13, Phase two on May 20, Phase three on May 25 and the final phase on June 1.
The results will be announced on June 4. (ANI)