BJD unveils 38-member manifesto committee ahead of LS polls

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) revealed a 38-member manifesto committee on Wednesday for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This committee will engage with diverse sectors of society, spanning various regions and age groups, to draft the party’s manifesto.

Chandrashekhar Sahu, the Vice-President of BJD and MP for Berhampur, has been named as the chairman of the committee.

Debi Prasad Mishra, Pratap Deb, Saudam Marndi, Mangala Kissan, Padmanav Behera, and Kasturi Mohapatra have been designated as Co-chairpersons of the committee.

Previously, on Thursday, BJD President and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik disclosed the second list of candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha.

CM Naveen Patnaik declared BJD candidates for five Lok Sabha seats: Surendra Singh Bhoi (Balangir), Manjulata Mandal (Bhadrak), Parineeta Mishra (Bargarh), Bhrugu Baxipatra (Berhampur), and Dhanurjay Siddu (Keonjhar). Additionally, the names of 27 candidates for simultaneous assembly polls were also unveiled.

Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its initial list of 112 candidates for the assembly polls in Odisha. Among them, Jayanta Kumar Sarangi has been nominated from Puri, Prakash Chandra Sethi from Cuttack Sadar, and Jagannath Pradhan from Bhubaneswar Central.

Significantly, in the 2019 Assembly polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) clinched a substantial triumph with 112 seats, leading to Naveen Patnaik’s fifth consecutive term as CM since 2000.

The Election Commission declared that elections in Odisha would coincide with the Lok Sabha elections and would be conducted in four phases. Phase one is scheduled for May 13, phase two for May 20, phase three for May 25, and the final phase for June 1.

The results are slated to be announced on June 4.