Bhubaneswar, Mar 16 (PTI) The Odisha BJP's state election committee on Saturday held a meeting, in which discussions were held on the candidates for the assembly elections and the Lok Sabha polls.

The meeting, chaired by state BJP president Manmohan Samal, was attended by the party's election in-charge for Odisha Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bisheswar Tudu, and MP Pratap Sarangi, among others.

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Candidates for the 147 assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state were discussed, a senior leader said.

The meeting was held amid speculations of an alliance with the ruling BJD for the upcoming elections.

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Asked about the speculations, Tomar said the BJP is ready with a comprehensive strategy for the elections, which it will fight with full might.

The other BJP leaders, who attended the meeting, however, refused to take questions on the speculations that have been going on.

Odisha will vote in the Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls, which are being held simultaneously, in four phases. The polling will be held on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. The votes will be counted with the rest of the country on June 4.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)