Bhubaneswar: Just hours after severing a decade-long association with the BJP, Lekhasri Samantsinghar officially joined the BJD on Sunday. Formerly serving as the vice president of the BJP’s Odisha unit, she was welcomed into the BJD fold at Shankha Bhawan in the presence of prominent party figures like Manas Mangaraj and Sasmit Patra. Expressing her appreciation, she thanked BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, as well as 5T Chairman VK Pandian, for warmly embracing her into the party.
Speculation is rife that the BJD may field her from Balasore Lok Sabha constituency, the lone seat from where the party is yet to announce its nominee, to fill up the one-third quota for women.
The BJD has already declared candidates for 99 out of total 147 assembly seats and 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats.
However, the party is yet to announce its candidate from the Balasore Lok Sabha seat to fight against BJP’s Pratap Sarangi.
According to sources, BJD is in talks with several candidates including former MP Ravindra Jena. But, the party is yet to finalise a candidate as Rabindra is reportedly unwilling to contest this time. With Lekhashree in its side, the party may field her in Balasore.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP’s Pratap Sarangi defeated Ravindra in a narrow margin of 12,956 votes. The Congress candidate Nabajyoti Patnaik stood third with 1,79,403 votes
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