Summary:
Both Soumya Ranjan and Anubhav visited Naveen Niwas on Friday.Subash Singh, president of Odisha Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, is also looking at the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. Some others have resorted to pressure tactics such as getting their supporters to hold rallies outside the chief minister’s office.The BJD strategists are working to finalize candidates for the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat, currently held by senior leader and five-time MP Bhartruhari Mahtab. In the 2014 assembly elections, Soumya Ranjan had lost the polls to BJD’s Anubhav Patnaik by a thin margin of 601 votes. While Dhenkanal MP Tathagata Satpathy has quit politics, BJD will replace sitting Keonjhar MP Sakuntala Laguri.Aspirants for various assembly seats have also made a beeline for Naveen Niwas. The BJP has fielded former Odisha DGP and former DG of CRPF Prakash Mishra from Cuttack while Congress is yet to announce a candidate.The BJD is also looking for alternative candidates for the Dhenkanal and Keonjhar Lok Sabha seats..