Odisha: Cong names 8 candidates for LS polls, 47 nominees for assembly elections in first list

The Congress on Tuesday released its first list of eight candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and 47 nominees for the assembly elections, which will be simultaneously held in Odisha in four phases.

The eastern state has 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats.

The party renominated its sitting MP Saptagiri Ulaka, who will contest from the Koraput seat.

The other candidates for the Lok Sabha seats are Sanjay Bhoi (Bargarh), Janardan Dehury (Sundergarh), Manoj Mishsra (Bolangir), Droupadi Majhi (Kalahandi), Bhujabal Majhi (Nabarangpur), Amir Chand Nayak (Kandhamal) and Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik (Berhampur).

Among the assembly poll nominees, it named Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanatak as the candidate for Nuapada, while the party's campaign committee chairman and former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das will contest from the Narla seat in Kalahandi district.

"Both the BJD and the BJP have not initiated any developmental work in Nuapada. It was the Congress government which had constructed a dam in the district," said Pattanayak.

Das alleged that democracy is in danger in the state, and he would contest the polls to protect it and the Odia pride.

"If the Congress forms government in Odisha, people can witness the welfare work, which were not undertaken in the past 25 years,'' he said.

Das' son Sagar Charan has been fielded for the Bhawanipatna assembly segment and bureaucrat-turned-politician Bijay Patnaik from the Parlakehmundi seat in Gajapati district, according to the list.

The Congress renominated its sitting MLA C S Raazen Ekka from Rajgangpur and Taraprasad Bahinipati from Jeypore.

Samakhemundi legislator Ramesh Chandra Jena has also been renominated, while Dasarathi Gomango will contest from his Mohana (ST) seat.

Bolangir MLA Narasingha Mishra, who had earlier declared he would not contest the elections, has been replaced by his son Samarendra Mishra.

Balabhadra Majhi, who recently joined the Congress after quitting the BJD, has been fielded from the Lanjigarh assembly seat.

The party has left the Bonai and Biramitrapur assembly seats to the CPI(M) and JMM, respectively.

Polls will be held in Odisha on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)