BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by Naveen Patnaik, announced BJP turncoat Lekhasri Samantsinghar as its Lok Sabha candidate for Balasore on Thursday, completing its list of 21 contestants for the upcoming parliamentary election, which will be held on May 13, 20, 25, and June 1.
Denied party ticket, the once bitter critic of Naveen and BJP’s popular TV face in Odisha, Lekhasri had left the saffron party on April 7, citing that she was left with no scope to work and serve people there anymore.“I am thankful to the party and its leader Naveen Patnaik for reposing faith in me,” she said.
It will mark poll debut for the college teacher-turned-politician, who previously served as vice-president of BJP’s state unit before opting to switch sides. A PhD in environmental science from Utkal University, Lekhasri served was independent director of BHEL since November 2021.
After fielding Lekhasri, BJD has fulfilled its promise of nominating one-third women for Lok Sabha, repeating a similar move the ‘Conch’ party had done in 2019 by fielding seven women. Lekhasri will compete against Pratap Sarangi, a former Union minister and BJP candidate, in a constituency situated in northern Odisha. Congress party has not announced its candidate for the seat so far.
While BJP has also named all its Lok Sabha candidates for Odisha, Congress has named eight LS candidates so far.
The Naveen-led regional party, which had been in discussions with the BJP for a possible alliance until recently, has dropped eight of its 12 sitting MPs and nominated six turncoats, three each from the BJP and Congress, as well as the wife of another BJP member, for seven crucial Lok Sabha seats.
In addition to Lekhasri, other BJP turncoats who secured BJD tickets include Bhrugu Baxipatra (Berhampur) and Dhanurjaya Sidu (Keonjhar). Former Congress members Pradeep Majhi (Nabarangpur), Anshuman Mohanty (Kendrapada) and Surendra Singh Bhoi (Balangir) have also been given BJD tickets.
Bhrugu, who left the BJP on April 3 after being denied a ticket, had unsuccessfully contested the Berhampur seat on a BJP ticket in 2019. Interestingly, the BJP’s nominee for the seat this time is Pradeep Panigrahy, a sitting BJD MLA from Gopalpur who recently switched parties.
The eight MPs who were not re-nominated are Chandra Sekhar Sahu (Berhampur), Chandrani Murmu (Keonjhar), Ramesh Majhi (Nabarangpur), Pramila Bisoyi (Aska), Mahesh Sahu (Dhenkanal), Bhartruhari Mahtab (Cuttack), Pinaki Mishra (Puri) and Anubhav Mohanty (Kendrapada). Although Sahu was not given a ticket to seek re-election, the BJD appointed him as the chairman of its manifesto committee, seemingly to appease him.
The BJD has introduced five new faces for the Lok Sabha contests, including former Aditya Birla Group top executive Santrupt Misra (Cuttack), pilot-turned politician Manmath Routray (Bhubaneswar), Ranjita Sahu (Aska), Abhinash Samal, a doctor (Dhenkanal) and Parineeta Mishra (Bargarh).
Denied party ticket, the once bitter critic of Naveen and BJP’s popular TV face in Odisha, Lekhasri had left the saffron party on April 7, citing that she was left with no scope to work and serve people there anymore.“I am thankful to the party and its leader Naveen Patnaik for reposing faith in me,” she said.
It will mark poll debut for the college teacher-turned-politician, who previously served as vice-president of BJP’s state unit before opting to switch sides. A PhD in environmental science from Utkal University, Lekhasri served was independent director of BHEL since November 2021.
After fielding Lekhasri, BJD has fulfilled its promise of nominating one-third women for Lok Sabha, repeating a similar move the ‘Conch’ party had done in 2019 by fielding seven women. Lekhasri will compete against Pratap Sarangi, a former Union minister and BJP candidate, in a constituency situated in northern Odisha. Congress party has not announced its candidate for the seat so far.
While BJP has also named all its Lok Sabha candidates for Odisha, Congress has named eight LS candidates so far.
The Naveen-led regional party, which had been in discussions with the BJP for a possible alliance until recently, has dropped eight of its 12 sitting MPs and nominated six turncoats, three each from the BJP and Congress, as well as the wife of another BJP member, for seven crucial Lok Sabha seats.
In addition to Lekhasri, other BJP turncoats who secured BJD tickets include Bhrugu Baxipatra (Berhampur) and Dhanurjaya Sidu (Keonjhar). Former Congress members Pradeep Majhi (Nabarangpur), Anshuman Mohanty (Kendrapada) and Surendra Singh Bhoi (Balangir) have also been given BJD tickets.
Bhrugu, who left the BJP on April 3 after being denied a ticket, had unsuccessfully contested the Berhampur seat on a BJP ticket in 2019. Interestingly, the BJP’s nominee for the seat this time is Pradeep Panigrahy, a sitting BJD MLA from Gopalpur who recently switched parties.
The eight MPs who were not re-nominated are Chandra Sekhar Sahu (Berhampur), Chandrani Murmu (Keonjhar), Ramesh Majhi (Nabarangpur), Pramila Bisoyi (Aska), Mahesh Sahu (Dhenkanal), Bhartruhari Mahtab (Cuttack), Pinaki Mishra (Puri) and Anubhav Mohanty (Kendrapada). Although Sahu was not given a ticket to seek re-election, the BJD appointed him as the chairman of its manifesto committee, seemingly to appease him.
The BJD has introduced five new faces for the Lok Sabha contests, including former Aditya Birla Group top executive Santrupt Misra (Cuttack), pilot-turned politician Manmath Routray (Bhubaneswar), Ranjita Sahu (Aska), Abhinash Samal, a doctor (Dhenkanal) and Parineeta Mishra (Bargarh).
