BJD's LS nominees comprise 30% turncoats
BJD for the 21 Lok Sabha seats, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's party has nominated at least seven leaders who came from either the BJP or the Congress.
The turncoats who have been nominated by Patnaik for the Lok Sabha elections are Surendra Singh Bhoi (Bolangir), Parineeta Mishra (Bargarh), Bhrugu Baxipatra (Berhampur), Manmath Routray (Bhubaneswar), Ansuman Mohanty (Kendrapara), Pradeep Majhi (Nabarangpur) and Dhanurjay Sidhu (Keonjhar).
While a number of senior leaders including former MP Prasanna Patsani were in the race for the party ticket from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat, Patnaik preferred to pick Manmath Routray, a commercial pilot and son of six-time Congress MLA Suresh Routray. He was given BJD ticket within hours of his induction in the regional outfit.
In case of Berhampur Lok Sabha seat, Patnaik denied re-nomination to the party's sitting MP Chandrasekhar Sahu. The party elevated Sahu to the post of vice-president and manifesto committee chairperson before announcing name of Bhrgu Baxipatra as its candidate. Baxipatra joined the BJD on Wednesday.
Similar was the case of BJP leader Parineeta Mishra. Mishra and her husband Sushat joined BJD after resigning from the saffron party on Wednesday afternoon and got Patnaik's nomination in the evening.
Baxipatra, who was a vice-president of BJP and a party cadre for last 23 years, will take on Pradeep Panigrahy, a former close aide of Patnaik. Panigrahy was expelled from the BJD in November 2020.
Baxipatra, was the runners up in Berhampur Lok sabha seat in
