BJD releases star campaigners' list for Lok Sabha, assembly polls

BHUBANESWAR: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday announced a 40-star campaigners' list for the Assembly and the Lok Sabha polls featuring chief minister Naveen Patnaik, BJD Leader Kartik Pandian, and BJD organization Secretary Pranab Prakash Das in the list among others.

A host of ministers, former ministers, MLAs, and cine stars are also included in the list. Senior leaders Debi Prasad Mishra, Prasanna Acharya, and Sarada Prasad Nayak are among others on the list.

Ministers like Pratap Keshari Deb, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Niranjan Pujari, Ashok Chandra Panda, Tukuni Sahu, and Rita Sahu will also campaign for the party candidate.

Odia cine stars Arindam Roy and Kuna Tripathy also found a place in the list of star campaigners.

Earlier on Wednesday, BJD released the fifth list of candidates for the Odisha Assembly Elections 2024. Odisha Chief Minister and BJD Chief Naveen Patnaik will contest from Kantabanji seat apart from his home turf Hinjili, which was declared before.

Notably, in the 2019 Assembly polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured a significant victory with 112 seats, with Naveen Patnaik becoming CM for the fifth consecutive time since 2000.

The Election Commission announced that the elections in Odisha will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections and will be completed in four phases, starting from Phase one on May 13, Phase two on May 20, Phase three on May 25 and the final Phase on June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.