Parties Go Full Throttle As Campaigning For Final-Phase Polls In Odisha Ends Today

Bhubaneswar: The three major parties have intensified campaigning for the fourth and final phase of elections in Odisha with electioneering coming to end on Saturday evening.

According to the schedule, BJP national president Amit Shah will arrive in Mayurbhanj district at 12.30 pm and address a Vijay Sankalp Samavesh at Morada. He will also address another meeting at Sukinda in Jajpur late in the afternoon.

On the other hand, BJD president and Naveen Patnaik will be conducting a roadshow at Tininimuhani in Pattamundai and another at Aul in Kendrapara district. He will later address a public meeting at Tangi.

As informed by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), 388 candidates are in fray for the fourth-phase polls scheduled on April 29. Among them, 52 candidates will contest the six Lok Sabha seats of Mayurbhanj (ST), Balasore (General), Bhadrak (SC), Jajpur (SC), Kendrapara (General) and Jagatsinghpur (SC).

As the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rescheduled polling in Patkura Assembly in Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency to May 19 following the death of the BJD candidate Bed Prakash Agarwalla, barring this constituency, elections to the 41 Assembly seats will be held in the fourth phase for which 336 candidates are in the fray.

The 41 Assembly seats are Jashipur (ST), Saraskana (ST), Rairangpur (ST), Bangiriposi (ST), Udada (ST), Baripada (ST), Morada (General), Badasahi (SC), Jaleswar (General), Bhogarai (General), Basta (General), Balasore (General), Remuna (SC), Nilgiri (General), Soro (SC), Simulia (General), Bhandaripokhari (General), Bhadrak (General), Basudevpur (General), Dhamnagar (SC), Chandbali (General), Binjharpur (SC), Bari (General), Badachana (General), Dharmasala (General), Jajpur (General), Korei (General), Sukinda (General), Salepur (General), Mahanga (General), Kendrapara (SC), Aul (General), Rajnagar (General), Mahakalapada (General), Niali (SC), Paradeep (General), Tirtol (SC), Balikuda-Ersama (General), Jagatsinghpur (General), Kakatpur (SC) and Nimapara (General).