BJD announces candidates for 18 more Assembly seats

Bhubaneswar, March 29 (IANS) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik on Friday announced the names of candidates for 18 more Assembly constituencies in Odisha. The party has so far announced candidates for 18 Lok Sabha and 119 Assembly constituencies.

Seven outgoing MLAs have been denied tickets in the latest list. Revenue Minister Maheswar Mohanty has been re-nominated from the Puri Assembly constituency.

Sambit Routray has been fielded from the Paradip Assembly constituency in Jagatsinghpur district.

Routray is the son of former state Minister Damodar Rout, who joined the BJP after being ousted from the ruling party. Rout is contesting from the district's Balikuda-Erasama constituency on a BJP ticket.

Odisha faces simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections for 21 Parliamentary and 147 Assembly seats. The polls will be held in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29.