BJD announces first list of candidates for Lok Sabha & assembly polls

BHUBANESHWAR: Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal announced its first list of candidates for phase one of polling for five Lok Sabha and 30 assembly seats including Patnaik's. The party, predicted to make a comfortable return to power nominated sitting parliamentarians Siddhanta Mohapatra and Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo and former hockey star Dilip Tirkey for Lok Sabha, while Patnaik himself will be fighting for an assembly seat from his the usual Hinjili seat. The party is expected to announce the remaining candidates for the first phase of elections tomorrow.

The unraveling of its primary opponent Congress seems to have become BJD's main problem. Till late evening the on Wednesday the CM and his team were in discussion finalizing the list for the first phase of elections. Amidst that, and yet again, the CM welcomed into his party politicians from Jharsuguda, Sambalur, Bolangir and Sundargarh who were abandoning their parties.

The list today interestingly cast Arka Kesari Deo for Kalahandi, where Congress is putting Bhakta Charan Das. It is differences over this seat that is believed to have finally last week driven former Congressman and leader of the opposition in the assembly, Bhupinder Sigh, to abandon his party of several decades for BJD.

"The surge into BJD is becoming a bit tricky to handle. When we try and accommodate any one new, we are potentially stand to lose some of the existing strong support, as evident in the panchayat elections in 2012 and recent urban elections, that incumbents have brought to the party," said a senior party leader asking not to be named.

Meanwhile in Bolangir, BJD's Singh Deo will contest yet again, against his aunt Sangeeta Singh Deo from BJP. Tirkey, both a tribal and Christian is fighting from Sundergarh from where he is believed to winning chances. Ladukishore Swain will be fighting has the parliamentary ticket for Aska.