 "Rebel Cong, BJD leaders in BJP's revised list")
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), today, made changes in its candidates list for assembly polls, just one day ahead of last date for filing nomination for first phase polls, by including names of disgruntled leaders of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress.
The party has replaced Subash Panigrahi, earlier selected to fight in Deogarh assembly seat, with the scion of the Deogarh royal family Nitesh Gangdev, who recently joined the BJP after quitting Congress.
In another change, it replaced Hitesh Bagarti, who was unwilling to contest the election, with Duryodhan Majhi for Khariar constituency. Majhi joined BJP from BJD during Narendra Modi’s rally at Sambalpur on March 14.
Even as the BJD is at the forefront in poaching candidates from other parties, the BJP has been able to attract leaders from both BJD and Congress to its fold. While senior Congress leader Ramakrushna Patnaik’s wife has been chosen to contest with a BJP ticket, recently former Berhampur mayor and BJD member Sibashankar Das and ex-BJD MLA, Ramamurthy Gamang have joined BJP after being denied ticket by party head Naveen Patnaik.
As infighting and number of ticket aspirants grow within BJD, the party has not been able to name the remaining candidates for 37 assembly and 4 Lok Sabha seats yet. While the party supremo has renominated most MLAs who were part of the coup attempt to unseat him in May 2012, the leadership has not been able to find suitable candidates for key seats including capital Bhubaneswar.
Out of 110 candidates declared so far by the party for assembly polls, BJD has chosen 35 new faces, including family relatives of former MLAs, members from Rajya Sabha and newcomers from other parties.
The party has replaced Subash Panigrahi, earlier selected to fight in Deogarh assembly seat, with the scion of the Deogarh royal family Nitesh Gangdev, who recently joined the BJP after quitting Congress.
In another change, it replaced Hitesh Bagarti, who was unwilling to contest the election, with Duryodhan Majhi for Khariar constituency. Majhi joined BJP from BJD during Narendra Modi’s rally at Sambalpur on March 14.
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Among other seats, the party has replaced Birendra Tahal with Sarat Chandra Behera in Khallikote seat, Manoj Behera with Pramod Behera in Daspalla and Anirudha Pradhan with Artatrana Mahapatra in Narla constituency.
Even as the BJD is at the forefront in poaching candidates from other parties, the BJP has been able to attract leaders from both BJD and Congress to its fold. While senior Congress leader Ramakrushna Patnaik’s wife has been chosen to contest with a BJP ticket, recently former Berhampur mayor and BJD member Sibashankar Das and ex-BJD MLA, Ramamurthy Gamang have joined BJP after being denied ticket by party head Naveen Patnaik.
As infighting and number of ticket aspirants grow within BJD, the party has not been able to name the remaining candidates for 37 assembly and 4 Lok Sabha seats yet. While the party supremo has renominated most MLAs who were part of the coup attempt to unseat him in May 2012, the leadership has not been able to find suitable candidates for key seats including capital Bhubaneswar.
Out of 110 candidates declared so far by the party for assembly polls, BJD has chosen 35 new faces, including family relatives of former MLAs, members from Rajya Sabha and newcomers from other parties.