BJD fields Lekhasri for Balasore LS seat

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal on Thursday announced Lekhasri Samantasinghar, who recently quit BJP to join BJD, as the party candidate for Balasore Lok Sabha seat. She is the second former BJP vice-president, after Bhrugu Baxipatra, to receive BJD's nomination for the Lok Sabha elections.

Lekhasri has been pitted against veteran BJP leader and sitting MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, also a former Union minister.

Her nomination marks the completion of BJD's candidate roster for all 21 Lok Sabha seats. The BJD has so far fielded seven women candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, thus maintaining the party's 33 per cent reservation for women candidates, as seen in the 2019 General Elections.

The BJD also announced the names of nine candidates for the Assembly elections.