Brajrajnagar: Unscheduled power-cuts and forceful collection of old electricity bills are among the top issues which the BJP will be highlighting in the Brajrajnagar bypoll.
BJP’s candidate for the bypoll Radharani Panda said she will fight for the rights of people who have been facing several hardships due to frequent power-cuts during peak summer.
Speaking to Odisha Bytes she said old bills cannot be collected by force but the electricity staff are doing so posing trouble for the people. This will be strongly protested and if needed, protests will be staged for people’s rights, Panda said.
Besides electricity, Panda said other issues like displacement for industrial projects, pollution of air and water leading to diseases, joblessness, crime against women and inefficient policing will be the other issues which BJP will highlight in the elections. About joblessness she said people from outside the district are given jobs while locals are deprived of it.
Panda defeated BJD candidate Anup Kumar Sai to emerge victorious in 2014 but lost to Kishore Kumar Mohanty of the ruling party by a margin of 11,634 votes in the 2019 Assembly polls.
The BJD, however, is yet to announce its nominee for the seat, which is scheduled to go to polls on May 31. The last date for filing of nomination is May 11. While these will be scrutinized on May 12, the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is May 17.
The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting BJD MLA from Brajrajnagar and former Speaker Kishore Kumar Mohanty on December 30, 2021, due to cardiac arrest.
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