"BJP and BJD are one," says Odisha Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati

"Whatever bill was presented in the Parliament, BJD supported which signifies that BJD has always supported BJP. People know that BJP and BJD are one...This time Odisha voters are in the line of Congress," said Jeypore MLA and Senior Congress Leader Taraprasad Bahinipati.

Speaking on his candidature, Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati said, "...The matter is of trust and confidence; people's trust in me and my trust is in Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan Singh....They trusted me and, hence, gave me a ticket..."

Congress on Tuesday released the first list of 49 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Odisha. The party has fielded Bijay Patnaik from the Paralakhemundi Assembly seat, while Samarendra Mishra will contest from Bolangir seat in the state

Meanwhile, Tankadhar Sahu has been fielded from Padampur, Anil Meher from Patnagarh, Nipon Kumar Dash from Bargarh and Naba Kumar Mishra from Boudh.

Earlier today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also announced its first list of 112 candidates for the assembly polls in Odisha.

The BJP has fielded Jayanta Kumar Sarangi from Puri, Prakash Chandra Sethi from Cuttack Sadar, and Jagannath Pradhan from Bhubaneswar Central.

Meanwhile, the party has fielded Sisir Mishra from Hinjili, where he will be up against BJD supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

Simultaneous elections to 147 assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies will be held in Odisha in four phases starting May 13.

Earlier in the 2019 Odisha Assembly polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured a significant victory with 112 seats, the BJP won 23 seats, and the Congress went from 16 to 9 seats.In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJD got the maximum number of seats, followed by the BJP and the Congress. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8 seats and the Congress bagged just a lone seat.

The Lok Sabha elections in Odisha are set to take place in four phases. The voting dates have been scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

Also, the voting for the Odisha legislative assembly will also be held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4. (ANI)