Even as his name figured in the party’s star campaigners’ list at the last moment, senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra on Thursday said he wouldn’t go anywhere to join the campaign trail for the gram panchayt elections.
Mohapatra, a bête noire of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said this while reporters asked him to comment on why his name was put in a revised star campaigners’ list.
“I thank them who had deleted my name. I thank them who added my name. I also thank them on whose directions all these were done. Though I know all of them, I will not name them,” Mohapatra said, adding, “I am not going anywhere to join the poll campaign. I am in my constituency, with my constituency and will continue to be there”
He said there is no dearth of experienced leaders in the party, and they can do whatever would be good for the party.
It may be noted that the names of Mohapatra and Rourkela MlA Dilip Ray had not figured in the star campaigners’ list published first on Wednesday. However, their names were included in the revised list, which was submitted to the State Election Commission (SEC).