Odisha Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Lok Sabha polls in Odisha took place in total four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. There are a total of 21 seats allocated in the lower house of the Parliament for the state, of which five seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and three for Scheduled Castes. Polling was held in four phases, with four seats in Phase 4, five in Phase 5, and six seats each in Phase 6 and 7.
The direct fight in the state Lok Sabha seats is between the BJP and BJD. Notable contenders include Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and four Odisha ministers - Prafulla Mallick, RP Swain, Ashok Panda, and Basanti Hembram.
Around 3.33 crore voters participated in the state's general election. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) continues to maintain a stronghold over the state's political landscape. In 2014, the BJD won 20 out of the 21 seats. In 2019, despite facing a tougher challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the BJD managed to secure 12 seats.
Here's list of Odisha's key candidates:
1. Dharmendra Pradhan (BJP)
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is contesting for the BJP in the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat against BJD's Pranab Prakash Das. He is replacing incumbent BJP MP Nitesh Ganga Deb. He had lost the 2009 election and later went to Rajya Sabha from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
2. Sambit Patra (BJP)
In Puri, BJP's Sambit Patra is facing off against BJD’s Arup Patnaik, a former Mumbai police commissioner. Last time he lost the election against BJD’s Pinaki Mishra with a narrow margin.
3. Pratap Chandra Sarangi (BJP)
Pratap Chandra Sarangi is facing off against BJD's Lekhasri Samantasinghar in the Balasore seat of Odisha. Congress has fielded Srikant Kumar Jena from Balasore constituency.
4. Baijayant Panda (BJP)
BJP's Baijayant Panda contested from Kendrapara seat in Odisha against BJD's Anshuman Mohanty. The Congress, which won the first election in Kendrapara in 1951, has nominated Sidharth Swarup Das.
5. Sarmistha Sethi (BJD)
Sarmistha Sethi is a contestant from Odisha representing the BJD in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 from Jajpur. 50-year-old Sarmistha is a post-graduate in terms of her education record. She has zero cases against her. Sarmistha is contesting against BJP's Rabindra Narayan Behera and Congress' Anchal Das. Professionally, Sarmistha Sethi is engaged in Social Service and Member Of Parliament Lok Sabha.
6. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo (BJP)
BJP's Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo contested Lok Sabha polls from Bolangir seat of Odisha. She is fighting against BJD's Surendra Singh Bhoi and Congress' Manoj Mishra.
7. Aprajita Sarangi (BJP)
Aparajita Sarangi is a candidate from Odisha representing the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 from Bhubaneswar. 54-year-old Sarangi will fight polls against Congress candidate Yasir Nawaz and BJD's Manmath Routray.
8. Naba Charan Majhi (BJP)
BJP candidate Naba Charan Majhi to contest polls from Mayurbhanj in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Naba Charan will fight against BJD's Sudam Marndi and JMM candidate Anjani Soren. Anjani is the daughter of JMM chief Shibu Soren. Anjani Soren had also contested in the 2019 general elections from Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat as a JMM candidate.
9. Sashmita Behera (Congress)
Congress candidate Sashmita Behera is contesting from the Dhenkanal seat of Odisha. Behera is contesting against BJP's Rudra Narayan Pany and BJD candidate Avinash Samal. Sashmita is a senior party leader and also former president of Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress. Dhenkanal is considered to be a BJD bastion as the party had won all seven Assembly segments under the Lok Sabha seat in 2019.
10. Dhanurjay Siddu (BJD)
BJD has fielded Dhanurjay Siddu from the Keonjhar (ST) seat of Odisha. He will contest with Congress' Mohan Hembram and BJP's Ananta Nayak.
Other candidates-
Cuttack sees a notable contest between BJP’s Bhartruhari Mahtab, a longtime incumbent, and BJD’s Santrupt Mishra, a former corporate leader. Mahtab has been a BJD MP but switched sides recently. He has been an incumbent MP since 1998.
From Bargarh (ST) seat, Pradeep Purohit, Sanjay Bhoi and Parineeta Mishra from BJP, BJD and Congress party are in the fray. Jurel Oram, Janardan Dehury and Dilip Tirkey are contesting from Sundargarh (ST) seat in Odisha. From Kandhamal seat- Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, Amir Chand Nayak and Achyuta Samanta are in the fray.
