Undertaking a massive change in the list of candidates for both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha, ruling BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday denied tickets to 35 sitting MLAs and 6 MPs.
The sitting MPs denied tickets were Nityananda Pradhan (Aska), Mohan Jena (Jajpur), Rudramadhav Ray (Kandhamal), Yoswant Singh Laguri (Keonjhar), Jayram Pangi (Koraput) and Laxman Tudu (Mayurbhanj).
Mayurbhanj MP Laxman Tudu was replaced by sitting MLA Ramchandra Hansda while Yoswant Singh Laguri’s wife Shakuntala was BJD’s candidate from the Keonjhar Lok Sabha seat.
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Among sitting MLAs denied ticket were three prominent leaders and former ministers like former finance minister Prafulla Ghadai, former law minister Raghunath Mohanty, former energy minister Kalandi Behera and former women and child development minister Anjali Behera.
Mr Patnaik, however, gave party ticket to sons of some prominent leaders.
The BJD supremo retained Priti Ranjan Ghadai, a sitting MLA from Korei and allowed him to contest from the Sukinda seat considered his father’s fort.
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Similarly, denying ticket to Kalandi Behera, his son Chandra Sarathi Behera (a sitting MLA from Salipur) would contest from his father’s Cuttack-Sadar seat.