Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during his election campaign in western Odisha for the urban local bodies (UlBs) sought to turn the High Court Bench issue in favour of his Biju Janata Dal.
“I personally support for a High Court Bench in western Odisha,” he said at all the meetings he addressed in the region. “Biju Patnaik also made sincere efforts in this regard. But consecutive Governments at the Centre came in the way and made everything futile,” he alleged at the meetings in Bargarh, Subarnapur and Sambalpur districts where elections to 20 UlBs will be held on November 22.
“My recent recommendation to the Centre apart, I also had urged the Centre for a High Court Bench in the year 2008,” claimed Patnaik.
Western Odisha BJD leaders like Prasanna Acharya, Niranjan Pujari, Anand Acharya, Rohit Pujari, Brundaban Majhi, Pravat Aditya Mishra and Ashok Panigrahi were with Patnaik at their respective places.
Patnaik was slightly injured at the Kuchinda meeting where his feet slipped. Besides, some from the audience pelted stone at former local MlA Brundaban Majhi.