Bhubaneswar, March 25 -- A day after BJP named Sambit Patra as its candidate for the crucial Puri Lok Sabha seat, the leader on Monday visited Jagannath temple to seek blessings of the Lord. On Sunday, the BJP announced the list of candidates for 18 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha.

While the saffron party has fielded Dharmendra Pradhan from the Sambalpur seat, Baijayant Jay Panda has been fielded from Kendrapara. Similarly, the party has fielded Aparajita Sarangi from Bhubaneswar, Jual Oram from Sundargarh, Sambit Patra from Puri, and Pratap Sarangi from Balasore.

"On the auspicious day, I sought the blessings of the Lord forgiving me a chance to contest again from Puri constituency. In the 2019 elections, I had lost by a narrow margin. I fee...