While 10 days to go for the elections to be held for the Patkura Assembly seat on July 20, the BJD is now set to intensify campaigning in favour its candidate Sabitri Agarwalla, widow of former MLA Bed Prakash Agarwalla.
The ruling party has already started preparations for the upcoming polls with new game plan and strategies recently discussed at a meeting chaired by party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Naveen Niwas.
Patnaik would attend a road show in Patkura on July 17, informed Labour and Employees’ State Insurance and Rural Development Minister Susanta Singh, who is among the BJD leaders camping in Patkura.
Meanwhile, the Congresshas decided to kick off its campaigning for the Patkura polls after the Bahuda Yatra of Lord Jagannath. “MLAs, leaders as well as the central leadership of the party have been urged to campaign for Congress candidate Jayanta Kumar Mohanty in Patkura,” said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik on Wednesday.
The elections for the Patkura constituency are considered as a prestige battle for the BJD and the main Opposition BJP, which has fielded its senior leader Bijay Mohapatra as party candidate.The polls assume more significance in view of the present bonhomie between the BJD and the BJP with the Congress alleging that the two parties have already “fixed the match” to ensure Bijay Mohapatra’s defeat.