Bhubaneswar: Top BJP and Congress leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J P Nadda and ex-Congress President Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to visit Odisha to campaign for their party candidates for the ensuing election.
According to state BJP leaders, Amit Shah will campaign for party nominee in Kantabanji Assembly constituency in Balangir district, along with Rourkela and Sorada in Hinjili Assembly constituency on May 15, while Shri Nadda will address public meetings in Hinjili, Sundargarh and Padampur.
It seems that the central BJP leaders have focused on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s home turf and home district. Top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and J P Nadda have already addressed election rallies in Berhampur, where election was held today.
Bargarh, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kandhamal, and Aska Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 Assembly segments under them will go to polls on May 20. Now, the top leadership is focusing on CM’s home constituency Hinjili and his second seat Kantabanji.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge are scheduled to visit on May 15 and May 16, respectively.
Briefing media persons here, AICC in-charge of Odisha, Ajoy Kumar said Shri Gandhi is scheduled to address an election rally in Bolangir on May 15.
He will arrive here at Bhubaneswar airport at around 11 AM and then directly proceed to Bolangir to address a public meeting.
Similarly, Shri Kharge would address a public meeting in Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency on May 16. The Congress president is also scheduled to address a press conference on the same day in Bhubaneswar, he said.
This will be the second visit of Gandhi to Odisha during the current elections. Earlier, he had launched an election campaign for Congress at Salepur in Cuttack district on April 28.