Actor Varsha Priyadarshini among 9 BJD nominees for Odisha assembly polls

Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Saturday nominated nine more candidates, including Odia film actor Varsha Priyadarshini, for the upcoming Odisha assembly elections.

While announcing the sixth list of candidates for the assembly elections, the ruling party in the state denied nomination to seven sitting MLAs.

Priyadarshini, who joined the BJD on Thursday, got a ticket for the Barchana assembly segment, while Congress turncoat Ganeswar Behera, will contest from Kendrapara as a nominee of the ruling party.

The Odia film star replaced sitting MLA Amarprasad Satpathy.

Sanatan Mahakud was named as the BJD candidate for the Champua assembly seat as incumbent legislator Minakhi Mahanta was denied a ticket this time.

Former MLA Raghunath Sahu will contest from the Chilika assembly segment as the BJD candidate, while Abhimanyu Sethi will be the party nominee from Anandpur where sitting legislator Bhagirathi Sethi was denied re-nomination.

The party had earlier expelled Chilika MLA Prasant Jagdev.

The BJD fielded Subhashini Sahu from Simulia, replacing incumbent MLA Jyoti Ranjan Panigrahi.

Bidyasmita Mahalik will contest from the Remuna assembly seat on a BJD ticket as the party had earlier expelled Sudhasu Sekhar Parida, the sitting MLA.

Dr Debashis Marndi got a BJD ticket for the Saraskana assembly seat while the party re-nominated minister Basanti Hembram in the Karanjia seat.

The BJD has so far announced the names of 135 candidates for elections to the 147-member assembly in Odisha.

The party has already nominated candidates for all 21 Lok Sabha seats.