By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: With the Central Election Committee of BJP is all set to announce its candidates for Odisha, BJD is seriously considering to field Party general secretary (Organisation) and MLA Pranab Prakash Das alias Babby Das against Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat. Sitting BJP MP of Sambalpur, Nitesh Gangdeb may be fielded in Assembly seat.
By fielding Babby Das against Pradhan, Naveen Patnaik wants to send a clear message that his BJD, is seriously fighting twin polls. Chief Minister Patnaik on Sunday reviewed Sambalpur Lok Sabha seats and 7 Assembly seats under it.
BJP has almost decided to field Union Minister Pradhan in Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat while the Party has decided to drop 3 sitting MPs , Union Minister Bisheswar Tudu of Mayurbhanj, Bargarh’s Suresh Pujari and Nitesh Gangdeb of Sambalpur.
Both Tudu , Ganag Deb and Pujari may fight in State Assembly polls. For Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat, BJP is likely to field President Droupadi Murmu’s daughter while for Bargarh seat, former MLA Pradeep Purohit may be the Saffron Party’s candidate.
BJP has also decided to field Jual Oram in Sundargarh, Aparajita Sarangi in Bhubaneswar , Dr Sambit Patra in Puri , Pradip Panigrahi in Berhampur, Subash Patnaik in Aska, Pratap Sarangi in Balasore, Bibhu Tarai in Jagatsinghpur, For Kandhamal, BJP is eyeing on a Retired Colonel. Candidates for Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jajpur, Keonjhar is yet to decided, sources said.
