BJD Releases List Of Candidates For Balasore LS, 9 Assembly Seats In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has released its latest list of candidates for the upcoming Odisha Assembly elections, along with naming its candidate for the Balasore Lok Sabha seat. Lekhasri Samantasinghar, a recent defector from the BJP, has been given the BJD ticket for the Balasore constituency.

Former Rajya Sabha MP and minister Prasanna Acharya will contest from Sambalpur Assembly seat, while Rairakhol MLA Rohit Pujari retains his nomination for the same constituency. Bhubaneswar Central MLA Ananta Narayan Jena also received re-nomination from the BJD.

Gitanjali Routray, wife of MLA Sambit Routray and daughter-in-law of late minister Damodar Rout, will vie for the Paradeep Assembly seat. With these announcements, the BJD has completed its candidate selection for all 21 Lok Sabha seats and 108 Assembly seats out of 147 in Odisha.

The party had earlier named its candidates for 9 Lok Sabha seats and 72 Assembly seats on March 27, followed by the second list for 6 Lok Sabha seats and 27 Assembly seats on the same day. Subsequently, on April 3, the party released the third list for five Lok Sabha seats and the second list for 27 Assembly seats.

The elections, scheduled in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1, will witness simultaneous voting for both Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Odisha. Vote counting will take place on June 4.

Balasore Lok Sabha Seat- Lekhasri Samantasinghar

Assembly Seats: 

• Laxmipur- Prabhu Jani
• Paradeep- Gitanjali Routray
• Sambalpur- Prasanna Acharya
• Rairakhol- Rohit Pujari
• Telkoi- Madhab Sardar
• Talcher- Braja Kishore Pradhan
• Narla- Manorama Mohanty
• Bhubaneswar Central- Ananta Narayan Jena
• Baliguda- Chakramani Kanhar