Phulbani: Eight candidates are in the fray in Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat after the filing of nominations ended Tuesday.
Interestingly, all the three major parties, the BJD, the BJP and the Congress, have fielded new faces here. The polls will be held here April 18. The BJD has fielded educationalist Achyuta Samant, who filed his nomination Monday.
The Congress has fielded Manoj Acharya while the BJP has fielded Mahameghabahan Aira Kharvel Swain.
Samant and Acharya were accompanied by thousands of supporters when they came for filing nominations. As Swain is a political heavyweight his rally was expected to be impressive, but it was quite downbeat.
Another candidate in the fray is three–time MP Mrutyunjay Nayak of the Congress who is contesting the poll as an Independent. He filed his papers three days ago.
Nayak is considered a heavyweight, but everyone was surprised when he came to file his nomination without supporters.
The other contestants are Amir Nayak (BSP), Jay Prakash (Jala Dal) and Brahmachari Madhabananda of the Hindustan Nirman Dal.
PNN