Prospective ticket aspirants in Odisha spend anxious moments as parties adopt dilatory approach to release full lists of candidates

By Sukant Kumar Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, April 9: Prospective ticket aspirants in Odisha are now passing tense moments as their party bosses adopt a dilatory approach to release full lists of candidates. Delay in release of the full lists of candidates has made the aspirants sit at their homes with fingers crossed.

 Odisha, which has got 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats, will go to the polls simultaneously. 

The ruling BJD has so far cleared 108 names for assembly polls and 20 candidates for Lok Sabha elections.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared its candidates for all the 21 Lok Sabha seats. In its first list of assembly candidates, it has cleared 112 names.

The Indian National Congress, the second main opposition in the state, in its first phase of list has cleared 49 names of assembly elections and six names for Lok Sabha polls.

“Odisha will go to simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha in four phases: May 13, May20, May 25 and June 1. The last date for filing nomination papers for the May 13 election is April 25. Unless the parties clear names of the candidates for all the Lok Sabha and assembly seats, how can the prospective candidates prepare them to offer good fights on the ground?” asked B.B. Patra, a BJD leader who is eying  a ticket to contest assembly polls.

Ramachandra Sahukar, a BJP leader hailing from Rayagada district, is waiting with his fingers crossed for the final list of the party. He wants to see the name of his favorite candidate in the list and launch the campaign programme for him.

“The BJD, our main rival, has declared its ticket for the Bissam-Cuttack seat. They have kick-started their campaign. The delay on the part of our party to clear the names of candidates has left us in a state of inaction,” said Behera.

Suresh Kumar Routray, a sitting Congress MLA from Jatni constituency, also expressed his concern over delay in the release of full list of candidates.

“The delay in releasing the full list of candidates is affecting the morale of the candidates. Early release of full list candidates will help us make effective preparation and the winning rate will be higher than the previous time,” said Routray.