Odisha: CM Naveen Patnaik may campaign in Brajrajnagar byelection to seek votes for BJD candidate

BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik may hit the campaign trail for the Brajrajnagar byelection to seek votes for BJD candidate Alaka Mohanty though the programme is yet to be finalised officially. As usual, the CM was the top name in the 40-member list of star campaigners released by his party on Tuesday, which also includes several MPs, MLAs and senior leaders from western Odisha. Eight ministers are part of the 40-member team.
The ruling party continued to drop film star-turned-politician and its Kendrapada MP Anubhav Mohanty from the star campaigners’ list. Except Akash Das Nayak and Arindam Ray, not many actors were included in the list.
“The final list of contesting candidates was published today,” said a senior BJD functionary.
A total of 11 candidates are in the fray for the Brajrajnagar assembly byelection in Jharsuguda district, after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Tuesday. The bypoll was necessitated after Brajrajnagar MLA Kishore Kumar Mohanty of BJD passed away in December last year.
On Tuesday, two independent candidates, Tapan Swain and Pabitra Behera, and Manoj Pradhan of Odisha Janta Dal withdrew their nominations. BJD has fielded Mohanty’s wife Alaka, while the BJP and Congress have fielded Radharani Panda and Kishore Chandra Patel respectively. The other candidates are CPI’s Ramesh Tripathy, Bijay Kumar Jalan of Hindustan Nirman Dal and six independents.
With just 14 days left for the election on May 31, all the major three political parties are busy chalking out their strategies to win the bypoll. The candidates have kicked off their electioneering by organising door-to-door campaigns with their manifestoes to woo the voters. The counting of votes will be held on June 3.TNN
Inspired By