Odisha Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Schedule, total seats, BJD candidates and more

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The state of Odisha sends 21 parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha. It will vote for the general and the state Assembly polls simultaneously in four phases. Besides looking forward to a strong performance in the general elections, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is eyeing yet another term in the state Assembly and is pitted against the BJP and the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc in a three-way contest.

The BJD, which parted ways from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2009, was earlier in talks with the BJP for a pre-poll alliance. However, it didn’t materialise as BJP State President Manmohan Samal in March announced that the saffron party would contest the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha on its own.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJD won 12 of the 21 seats in the state, securing a 42.8% vote share. The BJP, on the other hand, registered victory on eight seats and received 38.4% votes, while the Congress was restricted to a single seat and managed a 13.4% vote share.

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Despite facing a strong contest from the BJP, the Naveen Patnaik-led party has expressed confidence in winning maximum seats in the state. The saffron party, however, is giving a neck-and-neck fight to the BJD in the majority of the parliamentary constituencies, as per the pre-poll surveys.

Voting dates

Polling for the 2024 general elections and 147 seats of the state Assembly will be held in the last four phases in Odisha. As many as 28 Assembly seats and four Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls on May 13, followed by 35 Assembly and five Lok Sabha seats on May 20, 42 Assembly and six Lok Sabha constituencies on May 25 and the remaining 42 Assembly and six Lok Sabha seats on June 1. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

During the 2019 polls, Odisha registered a total voter turnout of 73.29%.

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Total seats

In Odisha, there are 21 parliamentary constituencies. Out of these, three seats are reserved for the SC candidates, while five are reserved for the ST candidates. The remaining seats are unreserved.

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BJD candidates

Under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik, the BJD is aiming for most of the seats in the Lower House of Parliament in the 2024 elections. Here’s a look at the complete list of BJD candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha candidates in Odisha:

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow