The Indian National Congress (INC) underwent significant changes in its candidate roster for Odisha, with replacements in five assembly constituencies and the introduction of a new contender in another seat. Debasis Nayak emerged as the party’s choice for the Bari Assembly seat, joining after departing from the BJD, where he previously held roles as a former minister and a four-time MLA before briefly affiliating with the BJP. In Jaleswar, Sudarshan Das replaced Debi Prasanna Chand, while Himanshu Chaulia took over from Bijayananda Chaulia in Athamalik. Similarly, Uma Ballav Rath succeeded Sujit Mohapatra in Puri, and Sudarshan Sahoo was named the party’s nominee for the Athagarh assembly seat, succeeding Maheboob Ahemad Khan.
In addition, Akshaya Acharya was announced as the INC’s candidate for the Nilagiri Assembly seat, signaling a strategic move to fortify the party’s presence in the region. These changes reflect the INC’s efforts to optimize its candidate selection process and bolster its electoral prospects ahead of the upcoming elections in Odisha.