Odisha: Congress releases list of candidates for 7 Lok Sabha seats

Odisha will go to polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29 for the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats.

Picture credit: @INCOdisha (Facebook)

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday named seven candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Odisha. The party has fielded Fakir Mohan Naik from Keonjhar (ST) seat.  Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik’s son Navajyoti Patnaik will contest from Balasore. Madhumita Sethi is pitted from Bhadrak (SC) seat. Former Union minister K P Singh Deo who was also the president of the party's Orissa unit is being fielded from Dhenkanal. Dharanidhar Nayak will fight from Kendrapara. In 2014 elections, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Baijayant Panda defeated Congress candidate Dharanidhar Nayak by a margin of 2,09,108 votes. Former minister late Laxman Mallick's daughter Pratima will test political waters from Jagathsinghpur (SC) seat. Congress Media Cell Chairman Satya Prakash Nayak will is in the electoral fray from Puri. List of seven candidates below: Keonjhar (ST)  - Fakir Mohan Naik Balasore - Navajyoti Patnaik Bhadrak (SC) - Ms Madhumita Sethi Dhenkanal - Brg KP Singhdeo Kendrapara - Dharanidhar Nayak Jagathsinghpur (SC) - Ms Pratima Mallick Puri - Satya Prakash Nayak In the previous Lok Sabha election, the BJD had won 20 Lok Sabha seats and the BJP had to be content with the lone Sundergarh seat. In the 147-member Assembly, elections for which will be held along with the Lok Sabha, the BJD has a strength of 118, the BJP 10, and Congress 16. Odisha will go to polls in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29 for the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats.