'Congress to announce candidates for Odisha in April 1st week'

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced candidates for 18 Lok Sabha seats and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has already released the names of 15 Lok Sabha and 72 Assembly candidates in Odisha. However, the Congress has still not announced any names.

As per senior Congress leaders, the party will announce its list of candidates for the 60 Assembly seats where it lost in the 2019 election soon. This list will be released in the first week of April. This was informed by veteran Congress leader, Bhakta Charan Das at a presser here on Thursday. Das is the chairperson of the Campaign Committee of the Congress in Odisha.

“The party will first announce the names of its nominees in 60 Assembly seats where our candidates lost in 2019. The leaders who are still attached to grassroots workers will be given priority,” Das said.

He further stated that he would fight in the Narla Assembly seat in Kalahandi.

“After the announcement of nominees, the party workers and leaders will begin their campaigns. Within one month, many things will change,” he asserted. 

"I will campaign for our leaders in all Assembly and Parliamentary seats. Patience matters. The PCC has shortlisted some candidates. There are 60 seats where party leaders had performed well. Many have polled 35,000 to 65,000 votes even though they lost. They have increased their vote percentage by at least five per cent. They have worked hard for five years,” he added.