Bhubaneswar: Ghasipura’s sitting MLA and minister Badri Narayan Patra has dared his arch-rival and Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik to contest against him.
“The people of Keonjhar do not know who is Niranjan Patnaik. Can he say what he has done for this district?” Patra told mediapersons here on Thursday.
He said that those who are out to tarnish his image have the advantage of TV, print and electronic media. “Let them campaign and contest against me from Ghasipura. I am sure I will have a landslide victory even if I become invalid. In the last Assembly elections, I had won Ghasipura by about 88,000 votes. I openly challenge Niranjan to fight against me if he has the guts,” Patra said.
OPCC president Niranjan said his party was yet to decide the constituency from where he would contest the polls. He, however, said the Congress accepts any challenge from the BJD or the BJP.
