Lok Sabha elections 2024: In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in Odisha, the BJP unveiled its list of candidates for 18 out of the 21 seats in the state on Sunday. Notably, four sitting MPs were dropped from the roster. Among the prominent candidates, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be contesting for the Sambalpur seat. However, the party is yet to announce its nominees for the Cuttack, Jajpur, and Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituencies.
In a move to enhance representation, the BJP has included four women candidates in its lineup. Aparajita Sarangi will contest from Bhubaneswar, Sangeeta Kumari Deo from Bolangir, Malvika Keshari Deo from Kalahandi, and Anita Subhadarshini from Aska.
The sitting MPs who were denied BJP tickets this time include Suresh Pujari from Bargarh, Union Minister Bisheswar Tudu from Mayurbhanj, Nitish Gang Deb from Sambalpur, and Basant Panda from Kalahandi. Their positions have been filled by Pradeep Purohit, Naba Charan Majhi, and Malvika Keshari Deo respectively.
Meanwhile, the party has maintained continuity by retaining sitting MPs like Jual Oram from Sundergarh, Pratap Chandra Sarangi from Balasore, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo from Bolangir, and Aparajita Sarangi from Bhubaneswar.
The remaining BJP candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Odisha are Ananta Nayak (Keonjhar), Abhimanyu Sethi (Bhadrak), Rudra Pany (Dhenkanal), Baijayant Panda (Kendrapara), Balabhadra Majhi (Nabarangpur), Bibhu Tarai (Jagatsinghpur), Sambit Patra (Puri), Pradeep Panigrahy (Berhampur), and Kaliram Majhi (Koraput).
In the 2019 general election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) achieved a notable feat by securing 37.36 percent of the total votes, marking the highest vote share attained by any political party in India since the 1989 election. The BJP’s individual victory stood at 303 seats, contributing to a cumulative tally of 353 seats for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In contrast, the Indian National Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, clinched 52 seats, while the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) under its leadership secured a total of 98 seats.
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections unfolded in seven phases, spanning from April 11 to May 19, with results announced on May 23. Ahead of the upcoming polls, campaigning has already commenced, with the BJP setting its sights on securing over 400 seats out of the total 543 in the Lok Sabha.
As per the extensive News18 Opinion Poll conducted recently, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is poised to reclaim power in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2024 with a significant majority. The survey anticipates the BJP-led NDA to clinch 411 Lok Sabha seats, surpassing the 400-seat target envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the slogan, “Abki baar 400 paar.” The last instance of a party securing more than 400 seats occurred in 1984 when the Congress Party secured 411 seats out of 542 at stake. The projected NDA vote share is expected to reach 48% in the impending General Elections.
Contrastingly, the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. alliance is forecasted to secure 105 seats, marking an improvement from the 91 seats it garnered in its previous iteration as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in 2019. Other smaller parties are anticipated to secure 27 seats, as indicated by the opinion poll findings.
Within the alliance framework, the BJP is anticipated to enhance its seat count to 350, while other NDA partners are expected to contribute 61 seats, according to the poll. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 303 seats, contributing to the NDA’s cumulative tally of 353.
The Election Commission has disclosed that approximately 97 crore Indians will be eligible to cast their votes in this year’s Lok Sabha elections, reflecting a 6 percent increase in registered voters since 2019. The electoral rolls underwent nationwide publication in early February following an intensive Special Summary Revision 2024 process.
Ongoing efforts are underway to evaluate the feasibility of conducting simultaneous elections across India. Several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, are gearing up to conduct concurrent Lok Sabha and assembly polls. The terms of the Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim Assemblies are slated to expire on June 11, June 2, June 24, and June 2 respectively.
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