Naveen, Dharmendra, Hariprasad lead rallies
With just six days remaining for the Kandhamal lok Sabha bypoll, frontal leaders of all the three main political parties, BJD, BJP and Congress, addressed public meetings in favour of their respective candidates at different places under the constituency on Thursday.
While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik addressed two meetings, one at Boudh and another at Kantamal in favour of BJD candidate Pratyusah Rajeswari Singh, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed a host of meetings in Nayagarh and Boudh districts for BJP candidate Rudra Madhav Ray.
In his speeches, Pradhan highlighted the chit fund scam in which some Ministers and MlAs of the ruling BJD are allegedly involved. He also highlighted about various developmental schemes taken up by the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre to woo voters.
Other BJP leaders who campaigned for Ray included State president KV Singh Deo, former Ministers Manmohan Samal and Ramkrushna Patnaik and former MlA Pratap Sarangi.
In his meetings, Chief Minister stated about various pro-people programmes taken up by his Government and urged the electorates to elect Pratyusha. Other leaders who accompanied him were cine star and Rajya Sabha Member Anubhav Mohany and a host of Ministers and MlAs.
Similarly, AICC leader and Odisha-in-charge BK Hariprashad, his deputy Subhankari Sarkar, PCC president Jaydev Jena, former Minister Srikant Jena and Jeypore MlA Taraprasad Bahinipati addressed various meetings to campaign for party candidate Abhimanyu Behera.