V K Pandian & Not Naveen Patnaik Will Be The CM If BJD Is Voted To Power: Aparajita Sarangi

Bhubaneswar: BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi on Thursday cautioned people against what she claimed the BJD’s ploy to make V K Pandian the chief minister of Odisha if the regional party is voted to power for the sixth-term.

“People of Odisha should know that if they vote for the BJD, V K Pandian will become the Chief Minister, and not Naveen Patnaik. People need to rethink if they can accept it,” she told reporters during the roadshow by BJP national president J P Nadda in the city. 

Aparajita, who is seeking re-election from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat, further said that this is not “Biju Janata Dal, but Pandu Janata Dal”. “These are not my words; I have just put before you what people are saying… People want a corruption-free and transparent governance, a young and dynamic CM who can hold conversations with them in their language. The wave of change is evident in the state and people are seeking good governance and a CM who can serve them and ensure all-round development of the poor, farmers, youths and women,” she said, while asserting that the BJP will form a double-engine government in the state.

The BJD is yet to react to her statement.

Though Pandian is not consenting the upcoming election, he has been a star campaigner of the BJD, holding series of rallies across Odisha. He has repeatedly said that he is focussed on ensuring a sixth term for Naveen.

Also Read: Odisha Wants Naveen Patnaik To Take Rest, Says J P Nadda At Bhubaneswar Roadshow

The BJP, however, had alleged that Naveen’s dual constituency – Hinjli in Ganjam district and Kantabanji in Balangir district- bid was aimed at setting the stage for Pandian’s eventual induction through a bypoll manoeuvre.