Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) created another surprise by removing five sitting MLAs as the party on Saturday announced its sixth list of candidates for nine assembly constituencies in Odisha.
Apart from Kendrapara, BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the names of candidates for Chilika in Khurda district, Barachana in Jajpur district, Anandpur and Champua in Keonjhar district, Saraskana and Karanjia in Mayurbhanj district, Remuna and Simulia in Balasore district.
Popular Odia actor Varsha Priyadarshini will contest from Barachana constituency. He replaced five-time MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy.
Varsha was announced as the party candidate two days after she joined the BJD and almost three weeks after her former husband and Kendrapara MP Anubhav Mohanty left the BJD and joined the BJP.
Barring Karanjiya, where the party has re-fielded sitting MLA and Women and Child Development Minister Basanti Hembram, candidates have been changed on eight seats in the sixth list.
New faces have been included in their place, including two former ministers.
BJD has gone with former minister Ganeshwar Behera, who recently quit Congress and joined BJD despite huge resentment among party workers. He has been fielded from Kendrapara by replacing former Finance Minister and sitting MLA Shashibhushan Behera.
On the coveted seat of Chilka, the party has reposed confidence in Raghunath Sahu, who had won in 2009. After Sahu lost the 2014 election to BJP candidate Vibhuti Bhushan Harichandan, he was replaced by Prashant Jagdev in 2019.
Although it was speculated that former MP Prasanna Patasani could be the next choice, Sahu managed to secure his renomination following speculations that Patasani would join the saffron camp.
Former MLA Sanatan Mahakud, often hailed as the king-maker in the mineral-rich Keonjhar district, will contest from Champua. He was earlier elected to the seat as an independent candidate. In 2019, BJD candidate Meenakshi Mahant won the seat with his support.
The party has fielded Abhimanyu Sethi by canceling the ticket of sitting MLA Bhagirathi Sethi in Anandpur. Abhimanyu is the husband of Hatadihi block president Sabitri Sethi.
Dr Debashish Marandi, Chairman of Special Development Council, Mayurbhanj, has been nominated for Saraskana constituency. He had contested the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and lost to BJP’s Bishweshwar Tudu.
The two other surprise candidates announced by the party are Vidyasmita Mahalik from Remuna and Subhasini Sahu from Simulia.
Mahalik is the sarpanch of Patripal panchayat under Remuna block, while Subhasini is the wife of Shashi Kumar Sahu, who had contested the seat on a BJD ticket in 2019 and on a BJP ticket in 2014, but lost.
Mahalik has been nominated in place of sitting MLA Sudhanshu Parida, who was expelled for his alleged anti-people activities.
Sahu replaces two-time MLA and former tourism and culture minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi.
These changes were made as top party leaders were worried about its prospects in several assembly seats in coastal Odisha, as internal surveys had revealed that many sitting BJD MLAs were not performing well.
A senior BJD leader said that the party will get the first benefit from the change in candidates where it is most needed.
“Unlike the previous elections, this time a new strategy has been used and that is why some of the names have surprised many people. It is expected that this will help in reducing dissatisfaction against the sitting MLAs. Voters will also be able to see the commitment of our new leaders with renewed enthusiasm,” the senior leader said.
BJD’s sixth list for the assembly elections includes four women, two from the Scheduled Tribe category and two from the Scheduled Caste category. Out of 147 assembly seats, the party has so far fielded its candidates in 135 constituencies.
