Bhubaneswar: The ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD) in Odisha has fielded four women as candidates for Assembly constituencies instead of their husbands who had either won or came second in the 2019 edition of elections.
BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced the candidates’ list for the Assembly polls to be held along with the Lok Sabha elections in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1. Sadasiva Pradhani, who resigned from a govt job and became a BJD MLA from Nabarangpur in 2019, did not get a re-nomination. He was replaced by his wife Kausalya Pradhani.
The BJD also denied a party ticket to three-time MLA Purna Chandra Swain. He was elected to the Assembly in 2009, 2014 and 2019. His wife Sanghamitra Swain got the nomination instead from that seat.
The BJD had fielded Subhas Gond as its candidate in the Umerkote Assembly segment in 2019. This year, Patnaik did not allot a ticket to Subhas, but nominated his wife Nabina Nayak. Patnaik also has given a BJD ticket to Subhashini Jena to contest from the Basta Assembly seat in Balasore district.