The Baleswar lok Sabha seat is all set to witness star campaigners of all the political parties. While the Trinamool Congress (TMC), seeking to defeat Union Minister and State Congress Campaign Committee chief Srikant Jena, has decided to requisition the services of its supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Mithun Chakraborty to canvass for votes in the constituency, the BJP hopes to get its star campaigner Narendra Modi to lend his weight behind BJP candidate Pratap Sarangi.
Mamata Banerjee is likely to address a rally in the district during the first week of April. The dates of her and Chakraborty’s campaign would be finalised soon, said TMC State convener Aryakumar Jnanendra.
The party has fielded former Congress MP Kartikeswar Patra from the Baleswar lok Sabha seat while it has nominated candidates in all the seven Assembly seats in the district.It is to be noted that Aama Odisha Party (AOP) withdrew its candidate Kharavela Swain, a former MP from the lok Sabha seat, in support of the TMC.
The politically important constituency will also witness campaigning by Narendra Modi in the coming days as the BJP believes that it has greater winning chance from the seat.“We have planned to hold a rally of our Prime Ministerial candidate Modi in the area in the coming days. The date for the Modi visit will be finalised after the first phase elections,” said a BJP leader.