BJD fields Odia actor against BJP's Baijayant Panda

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and chief minister Naveen patnaik on Wednesday fielded Ollywood actor Anubhav Mohanty against BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda for Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat in Odisha.

Anubhav, now a Rajya Sabha member, will take on the three-time Panda. Apart from Kendrapara, the chief minister announced names of BJD candidates for eight other Lok Sabha seats.

The party’s fielded former Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik from Bhubaneswar parliamentary constituency replacing its sitting and five-time MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani. The BJD chief announced Patasani will be sent to Rajya Sabha.

From Bhubaneswar seat, retired IPS officer Arup Patnaik will contest against BJP’s Aparajita Sarangi and Congress backed CPI (M) nominee Janardan Pati.

The BJD has re-nominated its sitting MP Rabindra Jena from Balasore Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming election.

Doctor-turned-politician Debasis Marandi will make his electoral debut as the ruling party has decided to field him from Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat in place of sitting MP Ramachandra Hansda..

Sarmistha Sethi is the BJD candidate from Jajpur Lok Sabha constituency. The party denied ticket to its sitting MP Rita Tarai from the seat.

In a similar move, Naveen Patnaik has dropped its sitting Bhadrak MP Arjun Charan Sethi this time and given ticket to newbie Manjulata Mandal instead.

Former Works Secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan, who recently joined the BJD after taking voluntary retirement, is the party candidate from Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency. The party dropped its sitting MP Nagendra Kumar Pradhan.

Similarly, the party denied ticket to its sitting MP from Jagatsinghpur Kulamani Samal and fielded Rajashri Mallick as its candidate for the upcoming polls.

The BJD, however, retained its sitting Puri MP Pinaki Mishra and re-nominated him from the same constituency. Mishra will face BJP National Spokesperson Sambit Patra in the forthcoming election.

Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly constituencies, which will face simultaneous polls in four phases from April 11.