Odisha Bypoll: Patnaik To Hit Campaign Trail In Padampur On December 2

Adding momentum to BJD’s campaign for bypoll to Padampur assembly segment, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be canvassing for party candidate Barsha Singh Bariha on December 2, sources in the state’s ruling camp said.

BJD vice-president Prasanna Acharya said Patnaik’s campaign schedule has almost been finalised.

The party's sources said that the BJD supremo is likely to address public meeting, interact with voters and hold road shows in three places – Padampur town, Paikmal and Jharbandh.

This will be Patnaik’s first election campaign post COVID-19, they said.

His visit to the bypoll-bound constituency assumes significance after the BJD's loss in Dhamnagar bypoll. 

The BJD president had extensively campaigned for his party before 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Notably, Union minister and opposition BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan had been electioneering for saffron camp candidate Pradip Putrohit across the length and breadth of the constituency.

Three other central ministers, Narendra Singh Tomar, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bisheswar Tudu, have also canvassed for Purohit over the past two weeks.

By-election to Padampur was necessitated by the demise of BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha on October 3.  The party has filed the late lawmaker’s daughter from the seat.

Ten candidates are in the fray, including Satya Bhusan Sahu of the Congress.

Odisha Congress president Sarat Pattnayak and AICC general secretary and Odisha in-charge A Chella Kumar had been campaigning for Sahu in the bypoll-bound constituency.

Voting for the byelection will be held on December 5, and results will be declared three days later.

-With PTI Input