Bhubaneswar, March 29: BJP may announce its candidates’ list for Odisha Assembly segments today.
Reliable sources said that the Central Core Committee of the saffron party in association with the state office bearers and the Odisha in-charge have finalized the party candidates at a crucial meeting held on Thursday night at the party headquarters in Delhi.
State party president Manmohan Samal accompanied by state party’s organising general secretary Manas Mohanty have camped in New Delhi so far to hold final stage discussion with central leaders on deciding party candidates for Odisha.
The BJP may also release names for the remaining three parliamentary seats in Odisha, where in the announcement of party candidates is still pending.
Political analysts speculate that BJP is likely to declare at least 100 winnable faces today to be fielded as MLA candidates.
Speculation is rife that actor-turned-politican Sidhant Mohapatra, who was inducted into the saffron fold along with Cutack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, may be fielded from Kandhamal or given an Assembly ticket either from Digapahandi or Berhampur LS segment.
On the other hand the ruling BJD, which has already released names of 15 MP and 72 MLA candidates, may announce candidates for the rest 75 Assembly segments shortly.
The party is yet to announce candidates for politically significant LS segments including Bhadrak, Balangir, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Keonjhar, and Berhampur.
It's not clear as to whether the Naveen Patnaik-led party will repeat Chandrasekhar Sahu from Berhampur LS seat or field RS MP Manas Mangaraj. It had deferred the announcement on the party nominee after BJP announced Pradeep Panigrahi as its candidate from the seat.
Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, who joined the BJP in Delhi on Thursday, might be fielded by the BJP from his steady seat. However, Kandhamal and Jeypore are two other seats, where the party, is yet to announce its candidates.
