BJD issues list for Cuttack Lok Sabha, nine Assembly seats

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Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday announced party candidates for Cuttack Lok Sabha seat and nine Assembly segments for the third and the fourth phases of polls in the state.
The party has re-nominated five-time MP and the BJD’s leader in Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahtab for the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat while tickets were denied to senior minister Sashi Bhusan Behera, MLA Debasis Nayak, Rairangpur MLA Sabha Sushil Kumar Hansdah and Deogarh legislator Nitesh Ganga Deb.
The party has nominated former BJP leader Rajkishore Das for Morada seat. Getting an indication that he would not get a ticket, sitting Morada legislator Praveen Chandra Bhanj Deo quit the BJD earlier Monday.
The party has nominated former minister Arabinda Dhali for Jayadev Assembly seat which is being represented by Behera now. Dhali had been elected to Assembly from Jayadev seat in 2009. For Bari seat, the BJD has named Sunanda Das, who quit the saffron camp and joined the ruling party Monday only. There were quite a few hopefuls from the BJD for Bari Assembly seat.
Similarly, the regional party has nominated RR Biswas for Deogarh Assembly seat while Basanti Marandi has been nominated for Rairangpur , Jyotirindra Nath Mitra for Khurda and Nityananda Sahoo was re-nominated for Basta Assembly seat.
Sitting Khurda MLA Rajendra Sahu will contest from Begunia Assembly segment whereas Begunia MLA Prasant Jagdev will contest from Chilika constituency.
The ruling party is yet to announce its candidates for Dhenkanal and Keonjhar Lok Sabha seats and 10 MLA constituencies.
According to sources, the party is unable to find a strong candidate for Dhenkanal LS seat to contest against Congress’s Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo and the BJP’s Rudra Narayan Pany. The state will have simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and Assembly in four phases beginning April 11.