Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Sunday denied tickets to three of its sitting MLAs while introducing four new faces in the second list of candidates it announced for nine assembly segments.Lanjigarh MLA Balabhadra Majhi, Pottangi MLA Prafulla Kumar Pangi and Malkangiri MLA Manas Madkami were denied tickets. They were dropped following negative reports, sources said.In Lanjigarh, the BJD has decided to field new recruit Pradip Kumar Dishari while Mukudi Sodi, who rejoined the party recently, has been nominated from Malkangiri. Pritam Padhi, who deserted the Congress to join the BJD, will be making his electoral debut from Pottangi.Sambalpur legislator Raseswari Panigrahi, who has been picked by the party for a second term, is the lone woman candidate in the nine names announced by party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Out of the nine, four are for the first phase and three for the second phase. Last date of nomination for the first phase of election is on Monday while it is Tuesday for the second phase. “We will announce the names of other candidates very soon,” Naveen said.The BJD nominated Balangir royal scion Arkesh Narayan Singh Deo, a new entrant in politics, to take on Congress veteran and sitting MLA Narasingha Mishra in Balangir assembly segment. Arkesh’s elder brother Kalikesh Singh Deo is BJD nominee for Balangir Lok Sabha seat.In Loisingha, the BJD decided to give short shrift to the wishes of five-time MLA and former minister Jogendra Behera, who had opted out of electoral politics and had urged the BJD leadership to consider his youngest son Nihar Ranjan in his place. The party decided to pick newcomer Pradeep Behera for Loisingha, a reserved constituency for scheduled caste candidates.Prakash Chandra Mahi, another fresher in electoral politics, has replaced his elder brother and state SC/ST development minister Ramesh Majhi in Jharigam assembly segment as the minister has been nominated by the party to fight the Lok Sabha polls from Nabarangapur parliamentary constituency.The BJD’s Jharsuguda district unit president and three-time MLA Kishore Kumar Mohanty will contest the assembly election from Brajrajnagar seat. Mohanty was given Brajrajnagar as senior leader Naba Das, who deserted the Congress in January, will fight from Jharsuguda on a BJD ticket. The party retained Rairakhol MLA and deputy chief whip Rohit Pujari for a second term from the constituency.The party is yet to announce candidates for Biramitrapur and Phulbani assembly seats under Sundargarh and Kandhamal parliamentary constituencies, respectively. Both the seats will go to polls in the second phase on April 18. Party sources said the names would be announced on Monday.The BJD had earlier announced the names of candidates for nine Lok Sabha and 54 assembly seats. Several leaders, including many sitting MLAs and MPs, left the party after they were denied tickets.EoM

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