After battle lines were drawn following the announcement that there would be no alliance between the BJP and BJD, both parties have intensified their preparations for the 2024 elections.
BJP conducted a crucial meeting of its Central Election Committee (CEC) on Saturday in Delhi. Sources said the party is likely to announce its fourth list of candidates for Lok Sabha elections on Sunday.
At the CEC meeting, discussions were held to finalise the names of candidates from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, sources said.
After the party's CEC meeting, Odisha BJP chief Manmohan Samal said that there was a discussion regarding the political situation and strategy for Odisha in the CEC meeting. The CEC will decide on seats, Samal told ANI.
As per ANI report, discussions were also held for the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha.
Sources said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is likely to contest from Sambalpur, Sambit Patra from Puri and Aparajita Sarangi from Bhubaneswar in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
The names of two sitting MPs might be removed, reported ANI.