Bhubaneswar: BJD on Monday declared edu-entrepreneur Achyuta Samanta as its candidate from the Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 general elections.Samanta, founder of the KIIT and KISS group of institutions, will contest from the tribal-dominated Kandhamal, which made news for riots against Christians in the 2000s. Samanta, who was sent to the Rajya Sabha by BJD in 2018, has a strong following among tribals because of KISS, which offers free education and accommodation to more than 20,000 tribal students“I am very happy. I am grateful to BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik for the honour. For the last 30 years, I have been working for the development of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe people. I now hope to carry on with the same work to ensure their development right,” Samanta said.Experts said by fielding Samanta in Kandhamal, Naveen played a tribal card as the parliamentary constituency seat is an unreserved seat though a sizable population are tribal. Similarly for Samanta the 2019 Lok Sabha election is an opportunity to enter into direct politics.Naveen Patnaik has very calculatedly selected Achyuta Samanta for Kandhamal seat. Samanta has a pro-tribal image for his social work, he is soft spoken, clean and non-controversial figure and has acceptability in both communities of Hindu and Christian, said political analyst and former political science professor of Utkal University Surya Narayan Mishra.Samanta has started work in the constituency for the last few months and recently laid foundation stone to set up a branch of KISS only for Christian boys and girls at Simanbadi near Daringibadi in Kandhamal district.Chief Minister has a special attention for Kandhamal district. I am sure I will fulfil the hope and trust that the CM has bestowed on me towards the development of Kandhamal. For this I am sure people of Kandhamal will give their support and cooperation to me, Samanta added.Sources said, for Kandhamal BJD was in search of a new face. The constituency has been BJDs strong hold where the party won in 2009 general elections despite polarisation following the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati in 2008 and also in 2014. In 2014, BJD candidate Hemendra Chandra Singh won with a sizable margin but after his untimely death BJD fielded Singhs wife Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh who retained the seat in a by-election.Kandhamal parliamentary constituency is spread over in four districts and assembly constituencies under it include Baliguda, G Udaygiri, Phulbani in Kandhamal district, Kantamal and Boudh in Boudh district, Dasapalla in Nayagarh and Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district.

Stay updated with all the Latest Bhubaneswar headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.