TNI Bureau: A day after they were fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party to contest the Lok Sabha election in Odisha, Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra visited Puri and sought the blessings of Lord Jagannatha ahead of 2024 elections.

Both of them were accompanied by some party leaders including Ashrit Pattnaik, Surath Biswal, and Upasana Mohapatra, workers and family members during their visit.

It is to be noted here that the saffron party has filed Dharmendra from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seats while Sambit from Puri seat.

While speaking on this occasion, the Union Minister said that the blessings of Lord Jagannatha, who is an integral part of our social and cultural identity, have always been on me.

After becoming a candidate for the Lok Sabha from Sambalpur, the holy land of Maa Samlei, it was a great privilege for me to first receive the blessings of Lord Jagannatha in Puri temple. I believe that the blessings of the Lord will give me more strength to serve the people.

Later, Pradhan also offered prayers at different temples like Lingaraja Temple and Shree Parshuram Temple in Bhubaneswar and Goddess Hingula Temple in Talcher.