Odisha: BJD releases second list of candidates for Lok Sabha, Assembly polls

New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik has 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.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday 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.
Odisha BJP chief Manmohan Samal will be contesting from Chandabali, and Manoj Kumar Mehar will fight from Junagarh. Meanwhile, the party has fielded Sisir Mishra from Hinjili, where he will be up against BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik. There are eight female candidates on the BJP's first list. Sitting MP from Bargarh Suresh Pujari will contest from the Brajarajnagar Assembly seat.
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 recently 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)