Naveen unveils BJD roadmap to make Odisha No.1 State

Berhampur : Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik launched his election campaign from Hinjili, his home constituency, on Wednesday. He pledged to make Odisha the No.1 State in the country.

“Our victory march has just started from Hinjili. ‘Jodi Sankha’ (the double conch) is the identity of Odisha and development”, he said while addressing the gathering. “I have been working for the people of Odisha from the beginning and continue to work till the end,” he said.

Conch is the election symbol of the BJD. Many supporters were holding placards reading ‘I Love BJD’, ‘I Love Naveen.’ Several others painted their faces with conch. Yagna was also performed at several temples, wishing for the long life of the Chief Minister.

Naveen addressed two public gatherings at Samarjhola near Hinjili and Sheragada, which fall under his constituency, from where he will seek re-election for a record sixth term. The Hinjili Assembly segment comes under Aska Lok Sabha seat.

Naveen called upon the people to make the coming 10 years the “decade of Odisha.” He outlined the 10-year development plan for Odisha from 2024 to 2034 with focus on empowerment of youths and industrial investment. When Odisha completes 100th year of its statehood in 2036, it will emerge as number one State in the country.

Naveen criticised the Opposition parties for obstructing the development of Odisha. The Opposition has severely criticised Sri Mandir Parikrama project, Ekamra project and Samalei project. But the people know it better that nobody has succeeded by opposing development, said Naveen.

Naveen’s close aide and Nabin Odisha and 5T chairman V K Pandian, State minister Bikram Keshari Arukha, Aska MP Pramila Bisoyi and Aska MP candidate of BJD Ranjita Sahu accompanied him during the campaign.

Naveen is likely to file his nomination from Hinjili on April 30 after a ‘darshan’ of the deities at Tara Tarini. Sisir Mishra of BJP and Rajanikant Padhi of Congress are also in the poll fray. The date of voting is May 20.

Naveen will also contest from a second seat, Kantabanji. Kantabanji falls under Bolangir Lok Sabha constituency. In Kantabanji, Naveen will take on sitting Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja, who has been repeated by the party, and the BJP’s Laxman Bag, who lost the last poll by a narrow margin.

With a significant presence of Punjabi and Marwari voters, in the last Assembly polls in Kantabanji, Bag had secured 64,118 votes, losing by just 118 votes. The BJD’s Ajay Kumar Das had finished third in Kantabanji, securing 54,527 votes.

Naveen picking a second seat in western Odisha is aimed to counter the BJP’s growth in the region which comprises five Lok Sabha seats and 35 Assembly segments.

In 2019, Naveen had decided to contest from Bijepur, under the Bargarh parliamentary seat, apart from Hinjili sensing BJP’s emergence in the State. While he won both the seats with a thumping majority, Naveen retained his traditional seat Hinjili and vacated Bijepur. Rita Sahu of BJD was elected as MLA from Bijepur on October 24, 2019 in the by-election.

Both Hinjili and Kantabanji Assembly seats will go to polls on May 20. Naveen will campaign in Rayagada on April 25. He is also expected to campaign for party candidates of Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Berhampur and Koraput constituencies, which will go to polls on May 13.