Orissa BJP ready with list of candidates for LS polls

Aware that its support base is undergoing a slow erosion in Orissa, the BJP is gearing up for the Lok Sabha election...

Aware that its support base is undergoing a slow erosion in Orissa, the BJP is gearing up for the Lok Sabha election due to be held next year and has already produced its list of candidates, far ahead of its ally Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Now, the election committee of the BJP has put its seal of approval on the names of nine candidates, fielding only three fresh faces.

Of the new candidates, highly placed sources said that Prithviraj Harichandan, son of Rural Development Minister Biswabhusan Harichandan, has been cleared for the Berhampur seat, which is currently held by Union Minister Chandrasekhar Sahu. Party president Suresh Pujari will contest from Sambalpur — this seat was allotted to the BJD in the 2004 Lok Sabha poll, but the saffron party has been eyeing it for the last couple of years. In lieu of Sambalpur, the BJP wants to leave the newly created Bargarh seat for the BJD’s Prasanna Acharya.

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Finally, the Mayurbhanj seat goes to former tribal minister Draupadi Murmu. In the last election, Murmu’s was one of the party’s favourite, but she lost out on the party ticket to Bhagirathi Majhi. Majhi narrowly lost to Sudam Marandi of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in the election.

The biggest loser in the new list could be Dharmendra Pradhan, son of former Union minister Debendra Pradhan. Dharmendra was eyeing the Dhenkanal seat, held by BJD’s Tathagat Satpathy. But with Naveen Patnaik showing little signs of forsaking Dhenkanal, Dharmendra is likely to settle for the Pallahara Assembly constituency.