On Wednesday, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) unveiled its fifth roster of contenders for the 2024 Odisha Assembly Elections. Odisha Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik will vie for the Kantabanji seat alongside his established stronghold of Hinjili. Other candidates include Laxmipriya Nayak for Chitrakonda, Barsa Singh Bariha for Padampur, Rajendra Chhatria for Kuchinda, Arundhati Kumari Devi for Deogarh, Sanjukta Singh for Angul, and Dilip Kumar Nayak for Nimapara. Sulkhnsa Gitanjali Devi and Indira Nanda will compete for Sanakhemundi and Jeypore respectively.
Additionally, the BJD has exchanged two MLA nominees, with Rohit Pujari now contesting from Sambalpur and Prasanna Acharya from Rairakhol. Previously, Naveen Patnaik announced the fourth list of nine candidates for the Odisha Assembly elections and one for the Lok Sabha elections, with Lekhasri Samantasinghar slated for the Balasore Lok Sabha seat. The party also established a 38-member manifesto committee for the Lok Sabha elections, chaired by Berhampur MP and BJD Vice-President Chandrashekhar Sahu.
In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJD secured 112 seats, with Naveen Patnaik becoming CM for the fifth consecutive time since 2000. The Odisha elections will coincide with the Lok Sabha elections, spanning four phases from May 13 to June 1, with results announced on June 4.
