Odisha Assembly polls: CM Naveen Patnaik to contest from two seats

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will contest the state Assembly elections from two constituencies.

CM Patnaik had also contested two Assembly segments -- Hinjili seat in Ganjam and Bijepur in Bargarh -- during the last elections in 2019. However, he later resigned as MLA from the Bijepur seat.

While announcing the fifth list of candidates for the state Assembly, CM Patnaik on Wednesday said that he will fight elections from Kantbanji Assembly segments under Balangir Lok Sabha constituency. He had earlier declared to recontest his home turf, the Hinjili Assembly segment under the Aska parliamentary constitution as well for a sixth term.

The Kantabanji Assembly will see a fight between CM Patnaik and Congress heavyweight, Santosh Singh Saluja, four-time MLA from the same constituency.

The party has changed candidates in two Assembly segments, Rairakhol and Sambalpur. CM Patnaik declared that senior leader Prasanna Acharya, whose name was announced for the Sambalpur seat earlier, will now fight from Rairakhol while Rohit Pujari, the candidate for Raiakhol, will contest from the Sambalpur.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal has decided to field Dillip Kumar Nayak, from the Nimapara Assembly segment in the Puri Lok Sabha constituency replacing veteran leader Samir Ranjan Dash. The party also named Sanjukta Singh, wife of sitting MLA Rajani Kant Singh, as a candidate from the Angul Assembly segment.

The party has renominated sitting MLA Barsha Singh Bariha from the Padmapur Assembly seat.

Similarly, sitting Sambalpur MP and BJP leader Nitish Gang Dev’s wife Arundhati Kumari Devi, who joined BJD after walking out of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday, has been nominated by the party from the Deogarh Assembly constituency. Senior BJD leader Rabinarayan Nanda’s wife Dr Indira Nanda has been fielded from the Jeypore seat.

The party has nominated Dharakote Royal Scion Sulakhyana Gitanjali Devi replacing Nandini Devi from Sanakhemundi seat in Aska Lok Sabha constituency.

Similarly, the party has nominated Laxmipriya Nayak from the Chitrakonda seat and Rajendra Kumar Chhatria from the Kuchinda Assembly segment.

The voting for the 147-member Assembly will be held in four phases -- May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.