BJD & BJP Release Star Campaigners’ Lists For Padampur Bypoll In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released the lists of their star campaigners for the Padampur Assembly bypoll in Odisha.

While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and senior leaders like Pranab Prakash Das and Prasanna Achraya are among those figuring in the 40-member list of BJD, BJP’s star campaigners include top leaders like Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Arjun Munda and Bisheswar Tudu.

Several Odisha Ministers including Ranendra Pratap Swain, Pratap Keshari Deb, Niranjan Pujari and Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak figure in the list of BJD’s star campaigners.

The saffron party has also named state unit president Samir Mohanty, Leader of Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra and former MP Baijayanta Panda as its star campaigners for the by-election to Padampur Assembly segment in Bargarh distrtict scheduled to be held on December 5.

The ruling BJD has fielded Barsha Singh Bariha, while senior BJP leader and former MLA Pradip Purohit is the saffron party’s nominee for the bypoll. Congress has fielded senior leader Satya Bhusan Sahu for the by-election.

The bypoll  was necessitated following the demise of BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on October 2.