Bhubaneswar: Political tempers are likely to flare up in Odisha with Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and BJD president Naveen Patnaik scheduled to campaign for their respective candidates in the Nuapada Assembly bypoll this week.
According to BJP sources, CM Majhi and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai will campaign for party candidate Jay Dholakia on Thursday. While Majhi is scheduled to hold a road show in Komna block of Nuapada, Sai will address a public meeting at Panchampur.
Nine senior leaders from Chhattisgarh, including CM Sai and Deputy CM Arun Sao, featured in the BJP’s 40-member star campaigners’ list for the bypoll to the Nuapada, which shares borders with Mahasamund and Gariaband of the neighbouring state.
Majhi had launched a high-decibel campaign at a well-attended Vijay Sankalp Samavesh near the airstrip ground of Nuapada last month, when he promised that the district will witness a new wave of development under the double-engine government. He had also unveiled a Rs 1,100 crore package for the development of Nuapada just hours before the bypoll schedule announcement during his third visit to the district since assuming office.
Earlier in the day, Naveen also announced his scheduled visit to Nuapada on Friday, the second in four days, to seek votes for party candidate Snehangini Chhuria.
Nuapada is set for a triangular contest between the ruling BJP, BJD and Congress, which has fielded Ghasiram Majhi, an old hand with a support base of his own which was evident in the 2024 polls when he got more than 50,000 votes as an Independent to finish second behind Rajendra Dholakia, whose untimely demise on September 8 necessitated the bypoll.
This twin visit, something Naveen had avoided during bypolls in recent years, is being seen as an attempt to show his intent to go for a direct clash with the Odisha CM, who is leading the BJP charge, and Bhakta Charan Das, the state Congress chief, while ensuring that the party projects a united face after the 2024 electoral debacle.
The bypoll is a pivotal litmus test for the parties and can significantly impact and reshape the political landscape in the state. While BJD is viewing it as a battle of prestige and legacy, it is also the first electoral test for Mohan Majhi-Manmohan Samal duo, who have to prove that the win against the regional satrap in 2024 Assembly elections was no fluke.
