BJP candidate from Odisha's Kendrapara, Baijayant Jay Panda, offers prayers at Baladevjew temple
Apr 01, 2024
Kendrapara (Odisha) [India], April 1 : BJP candidate from Kendrapara constituency in Odisha, Baijayant Jay Panda, offered prayers at Baladevjew temple in Kendrapara on Monday.
Panda, who had reached Kendrapara, got a grand welcome from his supporters as he was seen doing a road show in an open Jeep.
While speaking to ANI, he said, "Today, thousands of people in around 5,000 motorcycles and several cars participated in the roadshow in Kendrapara. This shows that people are going to vote for BJP in Odisha. Our country is developing under the roadmap given by PM Modi."
Meanwhile, in an interesting turn of events, the Biju Janata Dal's sitting MP from Kendrapara Anubhav Mohanty, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.
Notably, Mohanty had defeated BJP's Baijayant Jay Panda in the last Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
After joining the party in the national capital on Monday, he said he has no complaint against Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
"I have no complaint against my leader. The reason why I joined the BJP is the pace at which our country is developing. Efforts are being made to make India the number one country in the world. I am deeply inspired by the dynamism that our Prime Minister carries and the bold steps that he takes... I considered my leader as a fatherly figure and he will always remain so... There are some reasons for switching parties which I do not wish to share," said Mohanty.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJD got the maximum number of seats, followed by the BJP and the Congress. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8 seats and the Congress bagged just a lone seat. The Lok Sabha elections in Odisha are set to take place in four phases. The voting dates have been scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.
Also, the voting for the Odisha legislative assembly will also be held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.
