Jan 5: Naveen Puri Show Vs Modi Baripada Rally

Bhubaneswar: The poll bugle can be heard loud and clear in Odisha with the ruling BJD and BJP scrambling to take the sheen off each others’ programmes.

On BJD’s 21st foundation day, the BJP launched the ‘Jabab Maguchi Odisha’ campaign. Taking a leaf from its book, the regional party is organising a parallel event, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mayurbhanj on January 5, at Puri that hogged the limelight for reasons other than Jagannath Temple after the BJP proposed the PM’s name for Lok Sabha election from the constituency.

It is turning out to be the battle of nerves and prestige with BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking fifth term in office and BJP working overtime to strengthen its ‘Look East Policy’ following the recent drubbing in Hindi heartland states.

Modi is expected to do Bhoomi Pujan for three National Highway projects of nearly 200 kilometre worth Rs 3318 crore at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district.

The saffron party is eyeing the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat and a dozen others in Odisha, where it hopes to make inroads to be able to garner the numbers for a second innings at the Centre. After North Odisha, the PM will again come calling this month and address a public meeting at Balangir in the western part of the state on January 16.

According to BJD sources, the Puri event is a follow-up of the announcement made by the Chief Minister to digitally empower six lakh Mission Shakti groups with smartphones to further accelerate their socio-political and economic empowerment, during the ‘Make in Odisha’ conclave last year.

While BJD seems to be making the right noises to impress the women electorate by such incentives and raising the women quota issue, the BJP is yet to go beyond its ‘posers’.

Modi, during his Odisha visit in December, avoided taking a direct potshot at Naveen and fired another round of ‘questions’ salvo.

To BJP’s 20 questions, BJD posed 10 on December 26 last year. How these questions will impress the voters, only time will tell.