Bhubaneswar: Days after alliance talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party failed, Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal on Wednesday, March 27, announced party's candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Naveen Patnaik announced names of 9 candidates including six-time Congress MLA Suresh Routray's son Manmath Routray. 

The BJD president also announced the names of 72 candidates for the 147 Assembly seats in Odisha. CM Patnaik himself will contest from the Hinjili Assembly segment in Ganjam district. 

Check Full List of Candidates 

BJD general secretary (Organisation) Pranab Prakash Das will contest from the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat against Union Minister and BJP candidate Dharmendra Pradhan. Odisha Minister Sudam Marndi will contest from the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat while former Indian Hockey skipper Dilip Tirky will face former Union Minister and sitting MP Jual Oram in the Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat.

The other candidates for Lok Sabha seats were: Lambodar Nial (Kalahandi), Ansuman Mohanty (Kendrapara), Prajip Kumar Majhi (Nabarangpur) and Manmath Routray from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat. Other Lok Sabha candidates are : Kausalya Hikaka (Koraput), Ranjita Sahu (Aska).

Manmath Routray, who joined the ruling BJD in Odisha on Wednesday, has been fielded from the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha Seat. As his candidature was announced Routray said, "It is an auspicious day for me. I never thought that my name would even be considered for the most premium Lok Sabha seat in Odisha - Bhubaneswar. It is a dream come true for me." 

Why BJP-BJD Alliance Talks Failed 

The announcement comes after the two parties- BJD and BJP who were indulged in alliance talks for the upcoming assembly and general elections, failed and they declared to go solo. The alliance talks failed as both the parties could not arrive at consensus over seat-sharing. 

While the BJD sought to contest from over 100 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly, it is not acceptable to the BJP, sources in the saffron camp claimed. The BJP, on the other hand, sought 14 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha which has been rejected by the BJD.

Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are held simultaneously in the state.