Congress declares five more Lok Sabha candidates

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) The Congress on Wednesday declared five more Lok Sabha candidates including four from West Bengal.

The candidates are Biswarup Mondal from Asansol, Khandakar M. Saifullah from Ghatal, Lakshman Chandra Seth - a former Communist Party of India-Marxist leader - from Tamluk and Syed Shahid Imam from North Kolkata (all West Bengal) and former Odisha unit chief Sarat Patnaik from Sambalpur in the state.

Congress also declared nine more candidates for Odisha assembly elections. 

These include state President Niranjan Patnaik from Ghosipura while Ashwini Pujahri will fight from Sambalpur and Jagdish Mohanty from Cuttack-Choudwar.

Abhishek Mahanda will contest from Cuttack Sadar (SC), Sukanta Tiadi Bhoi from Jaydev (SC), Rajib Patnaik from Bhubaneswar Central, Itish Pradhan from Bhubaneswar North and Pradeep Swain from Chilika.

The party has replaced former Odisha Chief Minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik's son Prithvi Ballabh Patnaik with Pradeep Sahoo from Begunia Assembly constituency.

"Pruthvi is unwilling to contest from Begunia Assembly seat in this election," state chief Patnaik said.

On Wednesday, the party had announced candidates for two Lok Sabha and nine Assembly constituencies in Odisha.

Former state Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo has been named for the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat while Manas Jena will contest from Jajpur Lok Sabha constituency.