With only two days to go for the end of the filing of nominations for the second phase polls on April 17, ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik on Monday released the list of party candidates for 15 out of the 17 left out Assembly constituencies, denying ticket to seven of his sitting MlAs, prominent among them being former Cabinet Minister Raghunath Mohanty.
Mohanty was dropped for being an accused in a dowry torture case filed by his daughter in-law Barsa Swony and apprehending backlash from women organisations in particular. Mohanty was sacked from the Cabinet and was arrested in connection with the case in March, 2013.
With the release of the third list of candidates for the second phase polls, the BJD so far declared candidates for 75 of the 77 Assembly seats except Patkura in Kendrapara district and Niali in Cuttack district. Popular comedian Tatwa Prakash Satapathy alias Papu Pom Pom was able the gain the confidence of the BJD supremo to get a ticket to contest in the Champua Assembly constituency in Keonjhar as many other film personalities, singers and music directors like Mihir Das, Trupti Das and Manmath Mishra stared in dismay.
Patnaik renominated only three sitting MlAs with a change of seat of Bhagiriathi Badajena. Badajena who is representing Bhubaneswar north seat would contest from Jatani against veteran Congress leader Sura Routray. Youth leader of the party Priyadarshi Mishra has been given the chance to contest from Bhubaneswar north. Sitting MlA from Jatni Bibhuti Balabanta Ray was dropped.
The other two sitting MlAs given ticket again include Sudarshan Jena (Remuna) and former Minister Praveen Chandra Bhanj Deo (Moroda).
Bhanj Deo was dropped unceremoniously from the Council of Ministers. Patnaik denied ticket to at least seven BJD sitting MlAs while disappointing Independent turned BJD MlA Jitu Patnaik. Sitting MlA from Sora Surendra Paramanik who in the last moment switched over to BJD from Congress too was not given a ticket. Jitu, known as a mining baron, was not given a ticket for the fact that he was allegedly involved in illegal mining. However, Patnaik accommodated Khordha Independent MlA Rajendra Sahu, who was an associated member of BJD in his present seat.
The members whose names did not figure in the list include Bhagirathi Sethi (Anandapur), Premananda Nayak (Telkoi), Subarna Nayak (Keonjhar), former Minister Raghunath Mohanty (Basta), Rajendra Das (Dhamnagar), Sipra Pallick (Kendrapada), Bibhuti Balabanta Ray (Khurda). Patnaik reposed faith on former MlA Kishore Tarai from Patamundai as candidate in the politically sensitive Kendrapada reserved Assembly seat in place of sitting MlA Sipra Mallick. As many as ten new faces figured in the third list for the second phase in which no names of women figured.