Bhubaneswar: The Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) of the state Congress Wednesday finalised the list of nominees for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
“We have prepared a list of 147 assembly segments and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies and sent it for the approval of the party’s Central Election Committee,” PCC president Niranjan Patnaik told reporters here. He said the party has accorded priority to the youth, women and candidates with winnability. PCC working president Pradip Majhi said priority was given to the recommendations of district committees. The list has at least two to three candidates for each constituency.
According to party sources, the candidates chosen for Lok Sabha are: former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal and Prakash Debata for Bargarh, George Tirkey and Prafulla Majhi for Sundargarh LS seat, Sarat Patnaik and Amar Pradhan for Sambalpur, Haramohan Saren and Binita Majhi (Keonjhar), Nabajyoti Patnaik and Sudarsan Das (Balasore), Anant Sethi and Panchanan Mandal (Bhadrak), Manas Jena and Arjun Charan Das (Jajpur), and KP Singhdeo, Santanu Kumar Sahu and Rama Chandra Khuntia for Dhenkanal.
The party has also finalised the names of Samarendra Mishra and Laxman Kumar Meher for Bolangir LS seat, Bhakta Charan Das and Jagannath Patnaik (Kalahandi), Pradip Majhi and Chandra Sekhar Majhi (Nabarangpur), Panchanan Kanungo and Suresh Mohapatra (Cuttack), Dharanidhar Nayak and Chinmay Behura (Kendrapara), Bibhu Tarai and Prasant Mallick (Jagatsinghpur), Satya Prakash Nayak and Biswa Ranjan Mohanty (Puri), Tirupati Panigrahi and Trinath Behera (Berhampur) and Dambarudhar Ulaka and Akash Ulaka for Koraput.
The names selected for assembly constituencies are: PCC president Niranjan Patnaik and Ratikanta Baral for Ghasipura seat, Narasingha Mishra and Amerandra Mishra (Bolangir), Jaydev Jena and his son Sangram Jena for Anandpur, Sasmita Behera and Narottam Nayak (Chendipada), Sanjukta Rout and Sarat Rout (Sukinda) and Santosh Singh Saluja and Sudha Das (Kantabanji).
Similarly, the names which are doing the rounds for the Assembly tickets are: Sibaji Majhi and Pradip Dishai (Lanjigarh), Bhujabala Majhi (Dabugaon), Chandra Sekhar Majhi (Kotpad), Sagar Das and Bharat Bemal (Bhawanipatna), Jacob Pradhan and Pratap Pradhan (G Udaygiri), Debasish Patnaik and Rabi Mallick (Banki), Uma Ballav Rath and Bichitrananda Muduli (Athagarh), Mohammed Moquim and Suresh Mohapatra (Cuttack-Barabati), Prakash Chandra Behera and Gurupada Nanda (Salepur), Debendra Sahu and Pradipta Das (Mahanga), Ganeswar Behera and Haladhar Sethi (Kendrapara), Debendra Sharma and Manas Mallik (Aul) and Ansuman Mohanty and Mitu Das (Rajnagar).
Besides, Bapi Sarkhel is likely to contest from Paradip Assembly seat while Chiranjib Biswal may contest from his own constituency Jagatsinghpur. Prasad Harichandan and Snehashree Harichandan are likely nominees from Satybadi, Ajit Mangaraj or Judhistir Samantaray from Pipli, K Surya Rao (Paralakhemundi), Ramesh Jena (Sanakhemundi), Taraprasad Bahinipati or his wife (Jeypore) and Rama Chandra Kadam from Potangi.