Congress releases initial candidate list for upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha

The Congress Party has announced its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha, naming contenders for 49 Assembly seats and 8 Lok Sabha constituencies out of the total 147 and 21 seats, respectively. The elections will be held in four phases on May 13, 20, 25, and June 1, with results on June 4.

Among the notable candidates announced, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka has been renominated from the Koraput Lok Sabha seat, while Janardan Dehury will replace George Tirkey in Sundargarh. George Tirkey will face Dillip Tirkey of BJD and Jual Oram of BJP in the Lok Sabha contest.

Noted actor Manoj Mishra will contest from Bolangir and Amir Chand Nayak from Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat. Other candidates include Droupadi Majhi, Bhujabal Majhi, Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik, and Sanjay Bhoi for Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Berhampur, and Bargarh Lok Sabha seats, respectively.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Sarat Pattanaik will contest from Nuapada Assembly seat, while Bijay Patnaik, senior leader and ex-IAS officer, will represent the party from the Paralakhemundi Assembly constituency. The list also includes sitting MLAs like C.S. Raazen Ekka, Tara Prasad Bahinipati, and Santosh Singh Saluja.

Lipika Majhi, daughter of Bhujabal Majhi, will contest the Dabugam Assembly constituency, and Narasingh Mishra’s son Samarendra Mishra will stand from Bolangir Assembly seat. Former India hockey team captain, Prabodh Tirkey, is set to contest the Talsara Assembly seat in Sundargarh district.