Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), May 3: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) revealed Santosh Khatua as its candidate for the final Assembly seat, Nilagiri, in Odisha on Friday.
Khatua’s nomination follows his departure from the BJD a day earlier, prompted by the regional party’s decision to nominate sitting MLA Sukanta Nayak from Nilagiri. Nayak, who secured victory in Nilagiri twice in 2014 and 2019, initially won under the BJD banner but contested the last election on the BJP ticket, defeating Khatua by a slim margin of 1,577 votes. He rejoined the BJD on March 31.
On Thursday, the BJP disclosed candidates for six Assembly seats but delayed the announcement for Nilagiri, ostensibly to assess the BJD’s selection. This move was speculated to allow the BJP to counter the other aspirant, according to sources.
The upcoming election will see Nayak and Khatua compete once again, albeit under different party symbols.
The announcement also quashes former MP Kharabela Swain’s proposal for a ‘seat adjustment’, wherein he had urged the BJP leadership to relocate Balasore MP candidate Pratap Sarangi to Nilagiri and nominate him for the parliamentary seat instead, following his initial intent to contest independently.
