Odisha: Naveen Patnaik to hit campaign trail in Nuapada ahead of bypoll on Nov 3

Bhubaneswar, Oct 31 (IANS) Former Odisha Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik, on Friday, announced to hit the campaign trail in Nuapada bypolls on November 3, party sources said.

In a video message released, the former Chief Minister said that he would visit the Komna block in the Nuapada Assembly constituency and interact with the people there.

"Jay Jagannath! My greetings to the dear brothers and sisters of Komna. I will be visiting Komna on November 3. I look forward to meeting you all and speaking a few words," Patnaik said in the video message along with his famous tagline 'Aapana Mane Khusita' (Are You Happy?).

The excited Bharatiya Janata Dal (BJD) workers and leaders claimed that Patnaik's visit to Nuapada will prove a game changer in the Nuapada bye-election.

Everyone has been eagerly awaiting to ascertain what are the issues Naveen Patnaik, the BJD President, is going to raise during his visit to the crucial Assembly constituency.

Ahead of BJD supremo's visit, the campaigning has intensified for the bypolls in Nuapada Assembly constituency with senior leaders of various political parties leaving no stone unturned to influence the voters.

Meanwhile, the political atmosphere has heated up, with the ruling BJP and the opposition BJD and Congress trading allegations and counter-allegations against each other.

Recently, the youth and student wings of the BJD held protests in Nuapada, alleging that the District Collector and the Superintendent of Police were functioning like "star campaigners" for the BJP government.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders claimed that the campaigning by BJD supremo will have no effect on the bypolls in Nuapada, which is scheduled to be held on November 11.

Earlier on Thursday, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that every political party has the democratic right to campaign for its candidate, noting that the BJD had still suffered defeat in the 2024 general elections despite Patnaik's campaigning.

Minister Pujari noted that the BJP is not concerned about who campaigns for the Opposition, as the party is fully focused on its own activities, strategies, and programmes.

However, the Minister added that the true impact of the campaign would only be known after the election results are declared.

--IANS

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