Bhubaneswar: Over 1.55 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the second and last phase of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly election in Odisha involving 11 Parliamentary and 77 Assembly constituencies.
The 98 candidates include Congress stalwart and Union minister Srikant Jena and former Union minister Arjun Sethi of the BJD, are in fray for Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituencies.
A host of MPs including Tathagat Satpathy, Baijayant Panda, Pinaki Mishra, Bhatruhari Mahtab (all BJD) are also seeking re-election to Lok Sabha. Among 747 candidates in the Assembly election are a host of high-profile leaders and state ministers like Maheshwar Mohanty, Pratap Keshari Deb, Badri Narayan Patra, Bijoyshree Routray and Damodar Rout.
Candidates of AAP, Odisha Janmorcha (OJM), Ama Odisha Party, Samata Kranti Dal, BSP, JMM and Trinamool Congress are also fighting the Assembly election.