The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Monday announced the names of 10 candidates - one for Lok Sabha and nine for Assembly, denying ticket to state Finance minister Sashi Bhusan Behera.
The party has renominated sitting MP Bhartruhari Mahtab again from the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. Mahtab is a five-time MP from the seat.
Former minister Arabinda Dhali replaced Finance minister S B Behera as the party's candidate for the Jaydev assembly segment. The BJD has also denied renomination to sitting MLA and party's founder member Debashis Nayak. He has been replaced by a woman leader Sunanda Das, who joined the BJD earlier on Monday. Das was earlier with the BJP.
Sitting Moroda MLA and former minister Pravin Bhanja Deo has been replaced by Raj Kishore Das, who joined BJD few days ago after quitting BJP. Bhanja Deo resigned from the regional party as well from the post of BJD's Mayurbhanj district president.
Rairangpur MLA Saiba S Hansda has been replaced by a woman leader Basanti Marandi, who joined BJD after resigning as the Congress block chairperson from Rairangpur.
Basta MLA Nityananda Sahoo has been re-nominated to contest the elections from his seat while Begunia MLA Prashant Jagdev has been given ticket to contest from Chilika assembly segment.
The BJD has fielded Jyotindranath Mitra, who resigned from BJP some days ago, in the Khurda seat while Khurda MLA Rajendra Sahu has been asked to contest from Begunia assembly seat.
The BJD has also fielded R R Biswal in Deogarh assembly.
With Monday's announcement of party candidates the BJD has declared the names of 19 Lok Sabha candidates and 137 MLA candidates.
Elections to the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 MLA constituencies in Odisha will be held simultaneously in four phases from April 11.
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