Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to bolster BJP’s campaign ahead of the initial round of elections in Odisha on May 13.
According to Pradeep Panigrahy, the BJP candidate for the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat, PM Modi will be addressing a gathering in Berhampur on May 6. This marks the second high-profile visit to Berhampur by a national leader of the saffron party within a span of eight days, emphasizing the party’s focus on the region. Previously, on April 28, BJP’s national president J P Nadda held a Vijay Sankalp Samavesh at Ambapua near Berhampur, following Union Minister Amit Shah’s kickoff of the party’s campaign in the state on April 25 from Sonepur. Earlier in February, veteran BJP leader and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also addressed a public rally in Berhampur.
Why BJP focusing on Ganjam ?
Ganjam is the bastion of BJD, which is also the home district of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He is contesting for re-election for the sixth term from Hinjli, also located in Ganjam district, known for sending the highest number of MLAs (13) to the state Assembly. In the 2019 elections, BJD secured 12 seats while Congress won one in Ganjam district. Moreover, BJD has maintained a stronghold over the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat for the past three elections and has consistently secured victory in the Aska parliamentary seat, the other Lok Sabha constituency in Ganjam. So if BJP wins the Berhampr Loksabha seat, it will be a big set back of BJD.