Congress lists Lok Sabha probables for elections

Expressbuzz, March 10, 2009

BHUBANESWAR: The Congress today finalised the list of probable candidates for 21 Lok Sabha seats.

The names were discussed at the meeting of the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) presided over by president of the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) KP Singhdeo. The PEC will meet here again on March 15 to discuss the list for the Assembly seats.

Significantly, the PEC has recommended single candidates for a number of seats. Sources, however, maintained that its recommendation is not final and the name of the candidate from a constituency may be changed by the high command. The list for both the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats will be submitted to the central scrutiny committee headed by Defence Minister AK Antony.

While Singhdeo is likely to contest from Dhenkanal seat, Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu’s name has been finalised for Berhampur seat. Former chief minister Giridhar Gamang has emerged as the front runner for the Koraput (ST) constituency. He has won from the constituency nine times. Nabarangpur (ST) seat has emerged as a winning seat after the alliance between the BJD and BJP snapped. Though the seat was considered a Congress stronghold, BJP wrested it in the last two elections.

The PEC, sources said, has recommended Hema Gamang and Pradip Majhi for the seat. While Hema is the party MLA from Gunupur seat, Pradip Majhi is a youth leader. Working president Bhakta Charan Das is likely to be the party’s candidate from the Kalahandi seat. The PEC is reported to have recommended only Narasingh Mishra for the Balangir constituency.

Former minister Prakash Debta and Sanjay Bhoi, son of former minister Krupasindhu Bhoi, have been recommended for the newly carved out Bargarh seat. Bhoi had lost from the Sambalpur seat by a very narrow margin in the last election. Three names have cropped up for the Sambalpur seat. They are former OPCC Sarat Patnaik, Orissa Pradesh Youth Congress president Rohit Pujari and former minister Amar Pradhan.

The committee is reported to have recommended former chief minister Hemananda Biswal for the Sundargarh seat, while Madhab Sardar and Dhanurjay Sidhu have been suggested for Keonjhar (ST) seat.

Sitting MP Sishila Tiria has emerged as the front runner for Mayurbhanj (ST) seat.

Anant Prasad Sethi has emerged as the front runner for the Bhadrak seat. Pinaki Mishra has been recommended for Puri seat. Former Bhubaneswar district Congress Committee president Santosh Mohanty, retired IPS officer Batakrushna Tripathy and youth leader Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik are doing the rounds for Bhubaneswar seat. Bibhuti Mishra and Bijaylaxmi Sahu have been recommended for Cuttack seat.

Names for other constituencies include Ranjib Biswal (Kendrapara), Mrutyunjan Nayak (Kandhamal), Jaydeb Jena, Amiya Mallik and Ashok Das (Jajpur), Deba Mallick and Rabi Sethi (Jagatsinghpur).