Heavyweights file nominations in Odisha's Kendrapara

High-profile candidates, including BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda and the Congress's Dharanidhar Nayak, on Monday filed their nominations for the Lok Sabha polls in Odisha's Kendrapara, election officials said.

Two other stalwarts - Bijoy Mohapatra of the BJP and BJD's Bed Prakash Agrwalla - who will cross swords from the prestigious Patkira assembly constituency, filed papers before the returning officer.

BJD candidate for the Kendrapara parliamentary seat, filmstar-turned politician Anubhav Mohanty, will submit his papers on Tuesday, party sources said.

A total 15 candidates filed nominations for the Lok Sabha and assembly seats in Kendrapara.

The district will go to polls on April 29, the last phase of elections in Odisha.

Flanked by hundreds of supporters, the candidates held rallies and roadshows in various parts of the district.

With the convergence of an estimated 40,000 people on the streets, mostly cadres of political parties, vehicular traffic was disrupted in the headquarter township for over six hours, officials said.

"Voters in Kendrapara are politically conscious. They will definitely vote for the BJP to form a strong Narendra Modi-led government. I am optimistic of victory," Panda told reporters here.

Nayak said though the Congress does not have good track record in parliamentary polls, "this election will be different, as people see Rahul Gandhi as the next prime minister".

"People of Odisha have already made up their mind to unseat Naveen Patnaik from the chief minister's chair. The BJP will post a landslide victory in Odisha - both in the LS and assembly polls," said BJP's Patkura assembly nominee, Bijoy Mohapatra.