TNI Bureau: As the date for the second phase election in Odisha is getting closer which is to be held on May 20 (Monday) different political development takes place every hour.
Be it BJP or BJD or the Congress, every party is doing its best to attack, counter attack and seek votes for the party candidates. Below is some of the several important development took place in May 18.
With an aim to form Government in Odisha, State BJP president Manmohan Samal, BJP National Vice-President and party’s Kendrapara Lok Sabha candidate Baijayant Panda, Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha candidate Aparajita Sarangi, Sambalpur LS candidate Dharmendra Pradhan and senior leader and Balasore MP candidate Pratap Sarangi held roadshow in Balasore.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma while addressing a public meeting at Satyabadi in Puri district came down heavily on senior BJD leader VK Pandian and urged the people of the state to collect funds in the form of Re 1 and Rs 2 for a buying plane ticket to send the BJD leader to Tamil Nadu after the polls.
Union Minister and BJP’s Sambalpur MP candidate Dharmendra Pradhan slammed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and BJD leader VK Pandian. “If BJP wins Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister, but who will be your prime minister if you win,” Pradhan asked to the duo. He also said that the Odisha Minister is saying party leader to a man who has been hired. “Instead of leaving politics, Pandian should leaving looting the State,” said the Union Minister adding that BJP will win all 21 Lok Sabha seats and form Government in Odisha.
Adding to Pradhan, BJP’s National Vice president Baijayant Panda said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already given invitation to all. Either a son or daughter of Odisha will take oath as the Chief Minister on June 10, 2024 for sure. Undoubtedly, we shall win in Odisha and form government for first time with absolute majority and get 400 Lok Sabha seats too.
In an interesting development, the State BJP made a satiric post on its X handle aiming at VK Pandian by sharing a picture resembling a ‘flight ticket’ with BJDGo branding for him. In the ticket the saffron party has mentioned that the flight will take-off at 7pm on June 4, the date of the results of the general election, and the landing time of the flight in Chennai at 8 pm.
BJP’s state Vice President Golak Mohapatra also dared Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to remove the electricity meters from homes as he has promised to provide free electricity to the people of Odisha.
Later, a team led by him also submitted a memorandum to the State election commission alleging that the political violence are taking place in different parts of Odisha but the police and government employees have become mute spectator and have failed to check violence that is being done by the BJD leaders and workers. They have been launching murderous attack on the BJP workers. The delegation also demanded to conduct the second phase election smoothly, peacefully and impartially.
On the other hand, CM Naveen Patnaik took a jibe at the Assam CM saying that the Chief Minister should focus on their own state rather than making Odisha the No.1 state of the country.
Adding to Patnaik, Pandian also attacked the central BJP leadership saying that they say the same everywhere they go. They want to make every state the no.1 state of the country. BJP ruled Gujarat for several years but the State could not become the No 1 State in the country. They should first decide which particular state they want to make the No.1 State of the country.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) informed that the enforcement agencies seized cash, liquor, drugs and other valuable materials worth Rs 254 crore as part of its enforcement drive for election management in the state.
According to Chief electoral officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal, Rs 17.18 crore in cash, 31 lakh litres of liquor worth Rs 35.63 crore, contraband, mostly ganja, worth Rs 74 crore along with precious metals worth around Rs 14 crore and other materials worth Rs 112.66 crore have been seized by different enforcement agencies so far in the state.