Naveen files nomination for Kantabanji seat

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday filed his nomination papers from Kantabanji Assembly segment under Bolangir parliamentary constituency. Naveen had filed his papers from his traditional Hinjili seat in Ganjam district two days ago.

Naveen chose Kantabanji as the second seat as it is connected to three Lok Sabha seats Kalahandi, Bolangir and Bargarh. These three Lok Sabha seats were won by BJP in 2019 elections.

The BJD sources said Naveen’s decision to contest from Kantabanji will raise BJD's stake and make a dent in BJP’s vote share in the region.

Kantabanji seat was last won by Congress candidate S S Saluja. Even in the 2019 elections, Naveen had contested from two seats - Bijepur and Hinjili - and had won in both. He retained the Hinjili seat while resigning from Bijepur Assembly segment.