BJP nominates 112 candidates for Odisha Assembly polls; 21 sitting MLAs renominated

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (April 2), reaffirmed the candidacy of 21 out of its 22 incumbent MLAs in Odisha, simultaneously unveiling its roster for 112 out of the 147 Assembly seats in the state.

The lone legislator who has been denied the BJP ticket was Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra from Brahmagiri in Puri district. Mohapatra's niece Upasana Mohapatra has got the ticket from the Brahmagiri Assembly seat.

'Eight women candidates'

There are eight women candidates.

As per the list, BJP state president Manmohan Samal will contest from the Chandbali assembly segment in Bhadrak district while senior party leader and sitting MP from Bargarh Suresh Pujari will contest from Brajarajnagar Assembly seat. Pujari was denied the party ticket for contesting the Lok Sabha polls this time.

Leader of Opposition and MLA Jaynarayan Mishra will contest from his traditional Sambalpur assembly seat.

Three turncoats from BJD, Arabinda Dhali, Akash Das Nayak and Priyadarshi Mishra were given BJP tickets. Arabinda Dhali will fight from the Jayadev assembly segment in Khurda district.

While actor-turned-politician Akash Das Nayak, has been given the ticket for Korei Assembly segment in Jajpur district, former BJD MLA Priyadarshi Mishra will fight the polls from Bhubaneswar North seat.

While the saffron party's youth leader Tankadhar Tripathy will fight the Assembly polls from Jharsuguda, MLA Kusum Tete will contest from Sundargarh Assembly seat and Biswaranjan Badajena from Jatni.

Jagannath Pradhan has been fielded from Bhubaneswar Central, Babu Singh from Bhubaneswar Ekamra and Prithiviraj Harichandan from Chilika Assembly seat.

(With agency inputs)