18 April,2024 09:06 PM IST | Bhubaneswar | mid-day online correspondent
Naveen Patnaik. Pic/X
Odisha Chief Minister and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik announced nine Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidates including six women and four turncoats for the Assembly elections 2024.
Naveen Patnaik made the announcement on Wednesday, when he released the fifth list of nine candidates for the state Assembly elections.
The party has dropped four sitting MLAs - Purna Chandra Baka (Chitrakonda), Kishore Chandra Naik (Kuchinda), Rajnikant Singh (Angul) and Samir Ranjan Dash (Nimapara).
Naveen Patnaik will run in both the Kantabanji assembly constituency in Bolangir district, Western Odisha, and his customary Hinjili seat in Ganjam for the Assembly elections 2024, reported the PTI.
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Naveen Patnaik contested two seats in the 2019 assembly elections. He won both the Hinjili and Bijepur assembly segments in Bargarh district, western Odisha. Patnaik later resigned from Bijepur and kept his Hinjili seat, according to the PTI.
Naveen Patnaik has also rewarded four turncoats and nominated them to contest the assembly polls. They include: Arundhati Devi (Deogarh), Dillip Kumar Nayak (Nimapara), Rajendra Kumar Chhatria (Kuchinda) and Laxmipriya Nayak (Chitrakonda), the news agency reported on Thursday.
According to the PTI, the six women candidates are Laxmipriya Nayak (Chitrakonda), Barsa Singh Bariha (Padampur), Arundhati Devi (Deogarh), Sanjukta Singh (Angul), Sulkhnsa Gitanajali Devi (Samakhemundi) and Dr Indira Nanda (Jeypore).
While denying party ticket to Angul MLA Rajanikant Singh, BJD nominated his wife Sanjukta Singh from the same seat. Former minister and ex-MLA Rabi Nanda was also denied party ticket. His wife Dr Indira Nanda got the BJD ticket for the Jeypore assembly segment in Koraput district, as per the PTI.
Naveen Patnaik also nominated S Gitanajali Devi, daughter of former MLA Nandini Devi in Sanakhemundi assembly segment.
The BJD president also inter-changed the candidature of two leaders. Rairakhol MLA Rohit Pujari has been nominated from the Sambalpur assembly segment while Prasanna Acharya will contest from Rairakhol.
The BJD has so far announced the names of 126 candidates out of the total 147 assembly segments in Odisha.
Meanwhile, with the Election Commission of India issuing notification for the simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly, the nomination paper filing process started Thursday.
The candidates can file nomination papers for Odisha's four Lok Sabha constituencies and 28 assembly segments between 11am and 3pm from April 18 to April 25, the notification said.
Voting will be held May 13 in four Lok Sabha seats - Berhampur, Nabarangpur (ST), Kalahandi and Koraput (ST). Polling for the 28 assembly segments under the four Parliamentary constituencies will also be held on the same day.
(with PTI inputs)
