TNI Bureau: Amidst the nationwide bandh and protests, people in western Odisha celebrated Nuakhai with fervor. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is on 5-day tour in Delhi, greeted people and conveyed his best wishes.

The bharat bandh called by NDA and Left parties could not pose as an obstruction in western region of the state. People celebrated the festival wearing new clothes and having tasty dishes in their day meal.

People visited their neighbours and relatives and wished each other after ‘Navanna’ was first offered to Maa Samaleswari – the goddess of Sambalpur – at around 10 am.

The festival was also celebrated in Balangir, Koraput, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj. Some organisations are also organising cultural programmes to celebrate the festival.

Besides Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the leaders representing the western Odisha also wished people of their constituencies. Congress MP Pradeep Majhi, Minister of State for Information & Technology and Sports Ramesh Majhi, BJP leader KV Singh Deo, Odisha BJP chief Juel Oram also conveyed their message to people of western Odisha on this occasion.