Announcing the first list of candidates for five Lok Sabha and 30 assembly constituencies, BJD president Patnaik said the rest of nominees for the first phase of twin polls scheduled on April 10 in the state would be declared soon.
While international hockey player and Rajya Sabha MP Dilip Tirkey has been named as BJD's candidate from Sundergarh Parliamentary Constituency, the party renominated Bolangir MP Kalikesh Singh and fielded Arka Keshari Deo, son of former BJP MP and royal family member, in Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat. Kalikesh hails from Bolangir royal family.
For the assembly, the party retained five ministers - Revenue minister S N Patro in Digapahandi, Women and Child Development minister Usha Devi (royal family member) in Chikiti, Tribal Development minister Lal Behari Himirika in Rayagada, Industries minister Niranjan Pujari in Sonepur and Transport minister Subrat Tarai in Raghunathpalli seat.
Patnaik said Mangala Kissan, whose tenure ends in Rajya Sabha, will contest from Rajgangpur and former minister Padmanabh Behera was renominated from Biramaharajpur seat. Rourkela MLA Sarada Nayak, who was dropped from the ministry in 2012 after an failed coup bid, has also been renominated.
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Patnaik gave ticket to Geeta Sahu from Titlagarh assembly seat. Geeta is the wife of BJD youth wing leader Abhimanyu Sahu, who was killed by gunmen last year.
BJD's first list of 30 candidates for the April 10 elections included only five women while there has been no member from the fairer sex in the list of five candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.
There are 21 lok sabha and 147 assembly seats in Odisha. While election would be held for 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly constituencies on April 10, the rest would go to polls on April 17.
The BJD chief expressed the hope that those who failed to get tickets this time would continue to support the party to serve the people of Odisha and create a self-reliant and prosperous Odisha.