Bhubaneswar: With speculations regarding the BJD-BJP coalition in Odisha coming to an end, all eyes are now on the list of probable candidates who will be fielded by the saffron party in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, after brushing aside all political cacophony surrounding BJP-BJD tie-up, said that a meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) was held at the party headquarters in New Delhi which continued till late Saturday night. Samal informed that the committee discussed BJP’s strategy for the upcoming simultaneous polls in Odisha.
Samal’s remarks hold significance in the backdrop of possible announcements of Lok Sabha seats from Odisha as BJP is likely to release the fifth list of candidates today.
According to a source, all 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha were discussed in the BJP’s CEC meeting yesterday. BJP heavyweights such as Dharmendra Pradhan, Sambit Patra and Aparajita Sarangi are likely to be fielded in Sambalpur, Puri and Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seats respectively.
The names of two sitting MPs of the state might be dropped from the list of candidates this time, the source added.
Given the possibility of Pradhan’s possible candidature from Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, Nitesh Ganga Deb — the sitting MP from Sambalpur — might not get a ticket.
The list, which is expected to be announced Sunday, will likely include candidates from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.
The CEC meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, Brijesh Pathak, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma among others.
PNN