Bhubaneswar: The Governing BJD and Opposition BJP on Thursday announced their star campaigners for the crucial by-election to Jharsuguda Assembly Constituency.
Both the parties have submitted their 40-member campaigners’ lists to the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha.
BJD Supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik topped the list while BJD General Secretary (organisation) Pranab Prakash Das has been placed at the second position.
Senior BJD leaders and party’s observer for the by-poll, Prasanna Acharya, Debi Prasad Mishra and Sharada Prasad Nayak have also been named in the list.
Similarly, Ministers Niranjan Pujari, Ashok Chandra Panda, Pratap Keshari Deb, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Tukuni Sahu and Rita Sahu have found place in the list.
The list also includes former Ministers Susanta Singh, Arun Kumar Sahoo, Pratap Jena, Snehangini Chhuria, Puspendra Singh Deo, Chandra Sarathi Behera and Dibya Sankar Mishra.
Several senior and young MLAs including Prasanta Muduli, Alaka Mohanty, Pranab Balabantray, Byomakesh Ray, Bikram Panda, Debesh Acharya, Prasanta Behera, Devi Ranjan Tripathy, Souvic Biswal and Rudra Pratap Moharathy have also been made star campaigners for the bypoll.
Ollywood actor Arindam Roy and BJD Spokesperson Srimayee Sweta Snigdha Mishra will also campaign for party candidate Dipali Das in the election.
Similarly, in its list BJP has named State President Manmohan Samal, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Ashwini Vaishnaw & Bisheswar Tudu, Leader of Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra and vice-president Baijayanta Panda as its star campaigners.
Party MPs Pratap Sarangi, Suresh Pujari, Basant Panda, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Jual Oram, Aparajita Sarangi and Nitesh Gangdev have been named in the list
The other BJP star campaigners include State in-charge Sunil Bansal, D Purandeswari, Vijaypal Singh Tomar, Samir Mohanty, KV Singh Deo, BJP Chief Whip Mohan Majhi, MLAs Kusum Tete, Bhabani Shankar Bhoi, Suraj Suryabanshi Sthitaprajan, Mukesh Mahaling, Shankar Oram, Nityananda Gond and Subash Panigrahi will also campaign for BJP NTankadhar Tripathy in the by-poll
Earlier, Congress had announced its star campaigners list. Now, the Jharsuguda is waiting for a high-voltage campaigning by all the three principal parties in Odisha.
Notably, the bypoll is necessitated due to the murder of sitting MLA and Minister Naba Kisore Das on January 29 this year. The by-poll will be held on May 10 while the result will be declared on May 13.
