BHUBANESWAR: Six-time MLA Pradeep Maharathy , who recently resigned from the state cabinet for his controversial remarks on acquittal of the accused in Pipli gang-rape and murder case, has been named as BJD candidate from Pipli assembly constituency.Maharathy’s name was among the nine candidates for the third and fourth phases of polls announced by BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik here on Sunday.The Pipli MLA was in the eye of the storm after he hailed December 24, 2018 verdict of a Puri court acquitting two accused for want of evidence in the sensational gang-rape and murder of a Dalit girl during 2011-12. His remarks “justice was done to the victim” triggered row.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the issue to criticize the Naveen Patnaik government during a rally at Baripada on January 5, a day after which Maharathy had resigned from the cabinet.The BJD also fielded former MLA Bhagirathi Sethi from Anandpur constituency. In a dramatic turn of event, Sethy, who was the BJP’s nominee for the seat, returned to BJD fold on March 29. Sethy, who was the BJD MLA from Anandpur during 2009-14, had left the party and joined BJP in December 2014.As veteran leader Damodar Rout, who recently joined BJP, is in the fray from Balikuda-Ersama assembly segment, BJD fielded Raghunandan Das against Damodar while sitting legislator Prasanta Muduli has been shifted to Jagatsinghpur assembly segment.In 2014, Raghunandan had fought from the Balikuda-Ersama seat as an independent candidate after BJD denied him a ticket and secured 32,135 votes. Though he later joined BJP and became a ticket aspirant, Raghunandan returned to BJD fold after the saffron party fielded Damodar from the seat.The ruling party has roped in new-recruit Santosh Khatua from Nilagiri assembly seat as sitting MLA Sukanta Nayak recently joined BJP accusing the ruling party leaders of neglecting him.BJD’s Dhamnagar MLA Muktikanta Mandal has been denied ticket as the ruling party has roped in his wife Manjulata from Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat. Former MLA Rajendra Das has replaced Muktikanta in Dhamnagar as BJD nominee.Despite protest from a section of party workers, the BJD president reposed faith on two-time MLA Pramod Mallick from Niali seat.Supporters and rivals of the surgeon-turned-politician recently clashed outside the chief minister’s residence here. A group of BJD workers from Niali recently met Naveen and requested not to give ticket to Mallick accusing him a ‘corrupt politician’.The ruling party has also repeated sitting legislators, Samir Ranjan Dash and Surendra Sethi, from Nimapada and Kakatpur assembly segments.With this, the BJD has announced candidates for total 128 assembly seats.

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