Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJD is likely to declare its candidates for the first-phase polls by March 22, party sources said. Four parliamentary constituencies (PC), Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Berhampur and Koraput, and 28 assembly constituencies under these PCs will go to the polls on April 11.Notification for the first phase will be issued on March 18 while candidates will be able to file nominations till March 25. According to BJD sources, the party has shortlisted two to three potential candidates for each constituency. The final list will be announced after the approval of BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Naveen said winnability is the criteria behind selection of candidates.“Instead of announcing names for all 28 assembly segments and four parliamentary segments at one go, names of some candidates will be cleared soon,” said a BJD functionary. Names of candidates for constituencies where the party is facing difficulty in picking the right nominee will be announced close to the last date of nomination filing to avoid defection by any leader.Top party sources said the party may field fresh faces in all the four Lok Sabha constituencies. BJD currently has 20 MLAs in the 28 assembly seats going to polls in the first phase. At least 40% of the existing legislators may not be nominated by the party.Pradip Kumar Dishari, who fought 2014 assembly elections from Lanjigarh assembly segment (reserved for ST candidate) on a Congress ticket and secured around 42,000 votes, joined the BJD at Naveen Niwas here. Pradip is likely to be the BJD candidate from Lanjigarh replacing incumbent Balabhadra Majhi.“I have faith in my leader. Ticket distribution is the prerogative of our party president,” said Balabhadra responding to Pradip’s induction into the BJD. The BJD president also clarified that his party will not form a coalition.

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