Odisha BJP Prepares Candidates’ List For Lok Sabha, Assembly Polls For Approval By Central Leaders

Bhubaneswar: With the announcement of poll schedule, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has prepared its list of probable candidates for all the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Odisha, pushing the alliance talks with Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to the back seat.

The election committee of BJP’s Odisha unit held a marathon meeting at the state party headquarters in Bhubaneswar on Saturday to select probable candidates for each of the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly constituencies.

BJP sources said that the saffron party has already prepared a list with at least three probable candidates for every constituency as required by the central leaders for working out proposed seat-sharing with BJD.

The list prepared by the state BJP leaders would be sent for consideration of the central parliamentary board. Names of candidates for different seats would be announced only after final approval by the central party leadership.

The list of probable candidates has been prepared amid uncertainty over alliance with the ruling BJD with the possibility of intervention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Party sources said PM Modi and BJP national president J P Nadda will take a final call on the alliance issue.

the election committee took the opportunity to have a seat-wise discussion to pick best of the candidates. The election observers of the party have also come up with names of more aspirants and the committee will have to make a fresh evaluation, sources said.

If the party reaches an electoral alliance with BJD, the draft list will be of considerable help in  finalisation of candidates by the central parliamentary board of BJP

The meeting, chaired by state BJP president Manmohan Samal, was attended among others by party’s election in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar, and Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bishweswar Tudu.