BJP announces candidates for 18 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha

Following is the detailed list of candidates announced by the BJP for the Lok Sabha seats in Odisha. 

• Bargarh - Pradeep Purohit

• Sundargarh- Jual Oram

• Sambalpur - Dharmendra Pradhan

• Keonjhar - Anant Nayak

• Mayurbhanj - Naba Charan Majhi 

• Balasore - Pratap Sarangi

• Bhadrak - Avimanyu Sethi

• Dhenkanal - Rudra Narayan Pani

• Bolangir - Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo

• Kalahandi - Malvika Keshari Deo

• Nabarangpur - Balabhadra Majhi

• Kendrapara - Baijayant Panda

• Jagatsinghpur - Bibhu Prasad Tarai

• Puri - Sambit Patra

• Bhubaneswar - Aparajita Sarangi

• Aska - Anita Subhadarshini

• Berhampur - Pradeep Panigrahi

• Koraput - Kaleram Majhi

6 Changes in 18 Seats 

Out of the candidates for 18 seats announced today, BJP has changed candidates in 6 Lok Sabha seats. The party has fielded new candidates in Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Berhampur, Mayurbhanj & Koraput. 

On the other hand, the party has not announced candidates for 3 Lok Sabha seats in this phase. The party is yet to announce candidates for the Cuttack, Jajpur, & Kandhamal Lok Sabha seats.

Notable Drops 

In the announced list of 18 candidates, some notable faces were missing. Union Minister & 3-time MP Bishweswar Tudu's name has been dropped from the Mayurbhanj seat, while Suresh Pujari & Nitesh Gangadeb's names have not been considered this time for Bargarh & Sambalpur LS seats respectively.

'Stage For Historic Third Victory'

In a post on X, Baijayant Jay Panda said, "Over a decade, Bharat has witnessed immense transformation, setting the stage for a historic third victory for the BJP / NDA Government under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi. My sincere gratitude to Hon' PM, BJP National President JP Nadda, HM Amit Shah & the Central Election Committee for nominating me to contest from Kendrapada, a constituency I have had the honour of representing twice  earlier."

'Double-Engine Government'

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "I express my gratitude to Lord Jagannath and Maa Samalei. I seek their blessings. Because of their blessings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National President JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah have reposed faith in me and chosen me to fight from Sambalpur. I hope the people of Odisha and the country will ensure a double-engine government in the country and in Odisha to see a Viksit Bharat by 2047.”

'PM Modi Source Of Inspiration'

Minutes after this announcement, BJP leader Pratap Sarangi, who has been fielded from the Balasore parliamentary seat again, said that the fight will be intense and the party will try its level best to win all Lok Sabha seats. 

“The BJP will put up a fierce fight against the corrupt government and will win. In Balasore, our vote share will increase. People have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and they are attracted to his clean and transparent administration," Sarangi said.

'Mission Hinjili-to-New Delhi'

BJP leader Pradeep Panigrahy who has been picked up for Berhampur parliamentary seat, thanked the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister, Union Education Minister and other senior party leaders. “This is a big responsibility. Our duties have increased. I appeal to the people of Odisha and Berhampur to ensure a double-engine government in the centre and the state. This will be a mission from Hinjili to New Delhi. I have got a national field with a national agenda. Preparations have been happening over the years. Our main aim is to protect the Odia Asmita (pride). We have a lot of issues to highlight before the people.”

Celebrations in Sambalpur

Soon after the list was announced, BJP workers and leaders in Sambalpur kicked off celebrations. 

Senior BJP leader from Sambalpur, Jayanarayan Mishra said, "It will be a cakewalk for Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Sambalpur. Our party will win all the seven Assembly segments under this Lok Sabha seat. There is no challenge for Dharmendra Pradhan, as people in Western Odisha are with the BJP."

“We have a different strategy this time. We have reviewed our strengths and weaknesses. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a source of inspiration. Whoever is fielded in Sambalpur by the BJD will be defeated. We all were against the alliance. The party will win 20 LS seats and more than 100 Assembly seats,” Mishra added.

BJP leader Malvika Keshari Deo, who has been picked for the Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat expressed her happiness on the selection. She is a newbie politician. “People of Kalahandi will help me win. I am new. Women in the district will come out to help me. I will visit house-to-house to seek their blessings.”

Abhimanyu Sethi, who will contest from the Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat said, "The BJP will win in Bhadrak LS seat by a good margin. People have faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and his development agenda. Party workers are now enthusiastic”

(By OdishaTV Bureau)

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