Bhubaneswar: A day after Naveen Patnaik set the BJD’s poll pitch for upcoming Lok Sabha and Vidha Sabha elections in Odisha, the counter from BJP will see Union Home Minister Amit Shah kicking off the party’s state campaign from Sonepur within the Balangir Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday.
According party sources, the BJP stalwart will arrive at Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda, from Hyderabad at 3.45 pm and travel to Sonepur in a helicopter. He will address the public meeting at Rameswaram Stadium at Sonepur at around 4.35 pm.
BJP state vice-president Golak Mohapatra had earlier told the media that the meeting venue has been strategically selected for a better impact on Balangir and adjoining Lok Sabha seats. While Naveen will be contesting from Kantabanji within the same parliamentary constituency, apart from his usual home turf Hinjli, the adjacent Sambalpur LS seat will witness a big fight between Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das.
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In the 2019 elections, the BJP had won all five western Odisha Lok Sabha seats – Balangir, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sundargarh and Kalahandi.
After the public meeting at Sonepur, Shah will travel to Bhubaneswar via Jharsuguda and meet the party’s senior leaders during the night halt in the state capital.
Describing Shah’s forthcoming visit as highly significant, state BJP president Manmohan Samal had said that it will have a positive impact on the 4.5 crore people of the state ahead of the twin elections. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president J P Nadda will also undertake several visits to the state to bolster the party’s poll prospects.
