The BJD launched its campaigning for the upcoming Paradip municipality election holding its first meeting at the Badapadia taxi-stand here on Saturday evening. local MlA and Minister Dr Damodar Rout severely criticised local Congress and trade union leader Bapi Sarkhel and local BJP leader Nirmal Kumar Swain and appealed the voters to vote for BJD candidates only. Dr Rout introduced each of BJD candidates contesting the poll from all 19 wards. All candidates came to the meeting place in a massive rally with their supports. But as it rained, a very thin crowd was witnessed at the meeting place.
BJD Paradip unit president Sumanta Biswal presided over the meeting while former ZP president Sabita Mohapatra welcomed guests. BJD youth president Prafulla Singh, Minister Jogendra Behera, Jagatsinghpur MP Dr Kulamani Samal, MlAs Rajashree Mallick, Pratap Jena and Debasish Samantaray, former Paradip Municipality Chairman Gobinda Chandra Tarai, Magu Charan Nayak and Prakash Parida shared the dais. All of them highlighted about welfare projects taken up by the Naveen Patnaik Government while praising his late father Biju Patnaik for establishing the Paradip Port. Two other main political parties, the BJP and the Congress, are yet to start their campaigns.