Bolangir: The Congress and the BJD have announced their candidates for Assembly and LS seats in south and western Odisha that will go to polls in the first phase and have begun preparations for the poll. However, the BJP has not yet announced its candidates.
The silence of the BJP has given rise to a lot of speculations. But the Congress and the BJD have started making plans to counter the BJP.
This time too, the Congress has given its ticket to senior leader and MLA Narsingh Mishra for Bolangir Assembly constituency. But the BJD has not declared its candidates for Sadar Bolangir and Loisingha even though the Chief Minister had announced the names of candidates for nine Lok Sabha seats and 54 Assembly constituencies Monday.
The BJP is still mum on the issue. With the Congress fielding Narsingh Mishra it is to be seen who will take him on from the BJD and the BJP as he is a crowd-puller.
The Chief Minister announced candidates for Patnagarh, Titlagarh and Kantabanji. But his failure to name candidates for Kantabanji and Sadar Bolangir Assembly seats has triggered speculations about who from the BJD would be considered for these places.
Meanwhile, former minister Anang Uday Singh Deo’s son Arkesh Narayan Singh Deo, social worker Lalit Kumar Nayak, Harekrushna Sadangi and women leader Srimayee Mishra have been spotted outside Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar for tickets, reports said.
Anang’s elder son Lok Sabha MP Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo has been given ticket by the BJD again. This has led to speculations that Arkesh would not get a ticket as he belongs to the same family.
There were reports that only one person from a family would get a BJD ticket. So the chances of Arkesh getting the ticket are less, sources said.
The other three hopefuls, Lalit, Harekrusha and Srimayee, are leaving no stone unturned to impress upon the CM and get the ticket.
Dr Basudev Pati, Gopalaji Panigrahy and Anant Dash are in the race for BJP tickets. The delay in the announcement of BJP candidates has increased tension among hopefuls.
Although no exact reason for the delay in selecting candidates are available, BJP leaders attributed the delay to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parikar’s sudden demise.
Only time can tell who would get tickets from the BJD and BJP and will lock horns with Narsingh Mishra.
PNN