Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday urged voters not to support dishonest and unscrupulous candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.
Addressing three election rallies in Gopalpur, Aska, and Phulbani under Berhampur, Aska, and Kandhamal Lok Sabha seats, where polling is scheduled for May 13, Patnaik interacted with the public to gather feedback on his government’s welfare initiatives.
Patnaik, also the president of the regional outfit BJD, gauged public opinion on himself, asking the gathering, “Is Naveen Patnaik a good man?” to which the crowd responded affirmatively.
“Please bless me and vote in favour of the conch symbol of BJD. Do not vote for thieves,” Patnaik emphatically said, urging people to support the Lok Sabha and assembly candidates of the ruling party.
While addressing an election meeting at Gopalpur in Ganjam district, Patnaik appealed to people to vote for candidates with integrity. Although he did not mention BJP candidate Pradeep Panigrahi by name, Patnaik had previously expelled the Gopalpur MLA from the regional party.
Patnaik also criticised rival parties in the other two meetings, alleging that opposition parties were spreading misinformation and shedding crocodile tears during elections.
During the rallies, Patnaik received an overwhelming response from the crowds. If re-elected in 2024, he would become the longest-serving chief minister in the country, a BJD leader said.
Accompanying Patnaik, bureaucrat-turned-politician V K Pandian also addressed election rallies in three locations.
At the Phulbani rally, Pandian highlighted the Chief Minister’s commitment to tribal welfare by instructing authorities to withdraw 50,000 cases under forest and excise policies against tribals.
Pandian claimed that the BJD’s success rate in the first phase of elections, covering four Lok Sabha seats and 28 assembly segments, stood at 90 per cent. He urged people to ensure the BJD’s performance reached 100 per cent.
In the previous elections, the BJD won three out of four Lok Sabha constituencies and secured victory in 20 out of 28 assembly segments.
Pandian criticised the BJP, saying the party failed to name a chief ministerial candidate for Odisha while Naveen Patnaik has held office consecutively for five terms.
Responding to Pandian’s remarks, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is also a Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur, said the BJD should announce its prime ministerial candidate before criticising others. He emphasised that the BJP is a party of workers, and any worker could be appointed as chief minister.
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