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Kolkata:

The BJP named 18 of Odisha’s 21 lok Sabha seats on Sunday, after its seat sharing talks with the state’s ruling Biju Janata Dal of Naveen Patnaik fell through. Theb party has dropped four sitting MPs.  Among those named are Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and party spokesman Sambit Patra.

Sambit Patra: The well-known BJP face who narrowly lost in Puri last time has been fielded once again. The BJD candidate against him could be Arup Patnaik, the former Mumbai Police Commissioner. Puri is the seat of Lord Jagannath and a prestige battle for both parties.

Dharmendra Pradhan: BJP heavyweight and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been fielded from Sambalpur. It is likely that the BJD will field Pranab Prakash “Bobby” Das from thbe seat so thbe battle is expected to draw eyeballs.

Aparajita Sarangi: The incumbent MP and former IAS officer has been fielded from Bhubaneswar once again.

Jay Panda: The former BJD leader who joined the BJP will fight from his old seat Kendrapada. The Kendrapada Lok Sabha constituency had witnessed a high-profile contest between actor Anubhav Mohanty of BJD and Mr Panda, in which Mr Mohanty won convincingly.  Anubhav Mohanty, however, may be dropped this time, sources indicated.

Jual Oram; The BJP has fielded sitting MP and former Union minister Jual Oram from Sundargarh, who won by nearly 2 lakh votes in 2019. The BJD is likely to field hockey legend Dillip Tirkey in Sundargarh.

PC Sarang:i The Balasore candidate from the BJP is known for his simple lifestyle. He has also been a former union minister.