Bhubaneswar, Apr 16(Reporter) Veteran BJP leader and former Union Minister Dillip Ray has been nominated by the BJP to contest from Rourkela Assembly seat, which he had won thrice in the past. Ray was figured in the lists of 21 candidates for Assembly seats in Odisha released by the BJP on Tuesday in the second phase. In the first phase the party had released names of candidates for 112 assembly seats. The party is likely to release the names of the candidates in rest 16 assembly seats in a couple of days as the party has changed the candidates for Ranpur and Patangi Assembly seats released in the first phase. The BJP fielded Dillip Ray after the Delhi high court recently stayed his conviction by a Special CBI court on October 6, 2020. Ray, the then Union Minister of State for coal in the government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999, was convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment and a fine of for his alleged involvement in the coal block allocation scandal. He was convicted by the Trial Court for the offence punishable under Section 120B, 409, and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 13(1)(c) or 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Ray has moved Delhi High Court praying for a stay on the conviction so that he could contest the coming election. Ray was elected as MLA from Rourkela Constituency (1985-90) as Janata party candidate and was re-elected again in the year 1990 as Janata dal candidate. He was again elected from Rourkela Assembly seat in 2014 election on BJP ticket. He served as Minister of Industries in the Janata Dal Government (1990–95) headed by Biju Patnaik. Ray was nominated to the upper house for two consecutive terms (1996–2002 and 2002–2008). The BJP has nominated Amarendra Das and Kailash Kulesika, who have resigned from the BJD and joined the BJP recently for Jagatsinghpur and Laxmipur( ST) Assembly seat respectively.Three more candidates who had resigned from the BJD and joined the BJP also figured in the list. The party has dropped Dr Budhan Murmu, sitting MLA from Saraskana Assembly seat, and in his place nominated Bhadav Hansdah. A peeved Murmu who took voluntary retirement from his medical profession and won the Saraskana assembly seat in 2019 Assembly election,on BJP ticket said he would seek an explanation from the party for not being re nominated this time and decide his future course of action. The BJP has renominated candidates in Rayagada,Mohna and Karanjia Assembly seats and changed the candidate in Ranpur Assembly seat nominating former minister Surama Padhi who was elected from the seat in 2004 election but defeated during 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections in place of Tapas Mardha. Similarly, the party changed the candidate in Patangi Assembly seat and nominated Chaitanaya Nandibali in place of Chaitanya Haitala. Former MLA Baidhar Mallick, who was elected to the Assembly twice from Nimapara (SC) Assembly seat in 2000 and 2004 elections, has been nominated by the party from Kakatpur Assembly seat. The BJP has named as many as sixteen new faces in the second phase of list announced on Tuesday...////...