BJD ridicules BJP for delay in candidate announcement

The ruling BJD in Odisha Wednesday ridiculed opposition BJP for its delay in announcing the candidates list for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.

Though BJD and Congress have already released the candidates' list for the first and second phase of polling on April 11 and April 18, the BJP is yet to announce to announce its nomination for even a single seat.

"Are they(BJP) looking for dissidents from other parties ?" BJD spokesman Sasmit Patra asked adding the last date for filing of nomination papers for the first and second phase of polls is scheduled for March 25 and 26 respectively.

 

Ridiculing the BJP president Amit Shah's mission for 120 plus seats in Odisha assembly, Patra said: The party has made tall claims, but it is still looking for candidates. It is not getting 120 candidates to field in the elections. The BJP is instead trying to rope in dissident leaders from other parties".

The BJD, which has already given 33 per cent of its tickets to women canidates for the Lok Sabha elections, also criticised the Congress.

The Congress which talks of giving priority to women candidates has announced the name of only one woman candidate in its first list for the Odisha assembly elections. It has no woman candidate for Lok Sabha polls in the state." Patra said.

The Congress has announced 36 candidates for the assembly election and six for the Lok Sabha polls. The Odisha Mahila Congress president Sumitra Jena has expressed disappointment over it.

Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha seats and its assembly has 147 seats.

BJP state vice-president Samir Mohanty in his reaction said that the BJD should take care of its own party. "Several dissident leaders have left the party (BJD) and more are going to join other parties. The BJP is going along with its strategy and will announce its candidates list at the proper time."

Three MPs and an equal number of MLAs have quit BJD after being denied tickets in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Odisha assembly polls.