Bhubaneswar: Giving a clear message to the BJD that the BJP means business when it comes to electoral politics, the saffron party on Sunday announced its fifth list, nominating Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahi for the Berhampur parliamentary constituency. There were 18 candidates from Odisha.
As expected, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was nominated from Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the nomination. The saffron party also ousted four sitting MPs, while elected five new faces to the Lok Sabha.
Panigrahi, once considered Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s Man Friday in Ganjam politics for more than half of his unmatched political dominance in the state, has been chosen as the saffron party’s candidate in the crucial battle for power in the state.
TNIE had reported that Panigrahi was the BJP’s choice for the Berhampur parliamentary seat after joining the party two weeks ago as he has the fire to take on the BJD because of his knowledge of the internal dynamics of the regional organization in home district Ganjam. Of the Chief Minister.
The selection of candidates for the state’s 18 Lok Sabha seats is almost on expected lines except Balasore, where sitting MP Pratap Sarangi was reelected despite speculation that a new face may be brought in to replace him.
The nomination of former Padampur MLA Pradeep Purohit for Bargarh Lok Sabha seat in place of sitting MP Suresh Pujari was another surprise in the list of candidates announced by the BJP on Sunday. The defeat in four assembly by-elections for the BJD under the Bargarh parliamentary seat sealed the fate of Pujari, who may possibly be given the ticket for the assembly elections from Brajrajnagar.
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Speculations about the removal of Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bishweshwar Tudu from Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat and sitting MP Basant Panda from Kalahandi came true, while four-time MP from Balangir Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo proved lucky.
The nomination of former MP and National Vice President Baijayant Panda for Kendrapara was also as expected.
However, the surprise was that Kaleram Majhi from Koraput, Malavika Keshari Dev from Kalahandi and Naba Charan Majhi from Mayurbhanj were the new faces.
Apart from these three, Panigrahi and Purohit will also contest the Lok Sabha elections for the first time.
The four sitting MPs who have been removed, including Tudu, Pujari (Bargarh), Nitish Gangdeb (Sambalpur) and Panda (Kalahandi), are likely to contest the assembly elections.
