TNI Bureau: Senior BJD leader and party’s candidate for Berhampur Lok Sabha elections, Bhrugu Baxipatra hit the campaign trail and received a warm welcome everywhere he visited.

Accompanied by several senior party leaders and MLA candidates, Baxipatra visited Digapahandi, Chhatrapur, Gopalpur, Berhampur, Chikiti, Paralakhemundi, Mohana in the last few days and got good response despite being a new entrant to the State’s ruling party.

Baxipatra is all set to give a tough fight to BJP’s Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, who joined the saffron fold and got the ticket for Berhampur Lok Sabha seat. On the other hand, Bhrugu Baxipatra joined BJD after deserting BJP after being denied the party ticket to fight from the same Berhampur Lok Sabha seat.

It is to be noted here that Baxipatra had secured 3.49 lakh votes but lost to Chandra Sekhar Sahu by a margin of around 94,000 votes in the last Lok Sabha polls. BJD appointed Sahu as its vice-president and chairman of the manifesto committee and fielded Baxipatra against Pradeep Panigrahy.