Naveen Urges CEC To Defer Patkura Assembly Poll

New Delhi: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday urged Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora to defer the election for Patkura Assembly seat in view of Cyclone ‘Fani’.

Talking to mediapersons after meeting the CEC at his office here, Naveen said he had requested the commissioner to defer polls in Patkura, as the cyclonic storm is likely to cause damage in the coastal district of Kendrapara.

“The CEC assured me he would seriously consider the matter,” he said.

Asked about the performance of the BJD in the recent Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Odisha, Naveen said his party will come out with flying colours. “Besides, the BJD will also win the Patkura Assembly seat,” he said.

To a question on the recent arrest of his party leader and sitting MLA from Pipili, Pradeep Maharathy, the Chief Minister said the law will take its own course.