Political parties on Sunday were engaged in a high-pitched three-cornered electoral battle on the last day of the campaign for eight urban local bodies (UlBs) in the State which would go to the polls on April 7. Top leaders of the three major parties - BJD, BJP and Congress - visited the poll-bound areas to woo the voters on the last day of the campaign. Most of the leaders took part in the political processions and rallies in different wards of the urban areas, while some other leaders conducted meetings and door-to-door campaigns to persuade voters.
Notably, the elections would be held in Balimela, Sunabeda, Rairakhol, Paradip and Belpahar municipalities and Dharamgarh, Tusara and Daspalla NACs. BJD star campaigner and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik along with other leaders campaigned for party candidates at Paradip. “Our State Government has done many good things. I expect the Biju Janata Dal to do very well in these elections,” said the Chief Minister.
Mahanga MlA and BJD spokesperson Pratap Jena, who also went with the Chief Minister to campaign for their candidates, said his party would capture all 19 wards of the Paradip Municipality in the UlB polls. Besides, Ministers including Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Arun Sahoo and Pranab Das, Rajya Sabha member and Odia film actor Anubhav Mohanty, BJD MlA and cine artist Akash Das Nayak along with other film personalities hit the campaign trail for their party candidates in the UlBs.
From the BJP, Manmohan Samal campaigned in Sunabeda, Pratap Sarangi in Balimela, Surendra lath in Dharamgarh, leader of BJP legislature party Basant Panda in Tusara, Jayanarayan Mishra in Rairakhol, Brajarajnagar MlA Radharani Panda in Belpahar, Samir Dey in Paradip and Surama Padhy in Daspalla.
From the Congress party, leaders like Jharsuguda MlA Naba Das and senior leader Kishore Patel campaigned in the UlBs of western Odisha districts. Other party leaders were seen busy in door-to-door campaigns in the poll-bund UlBs.