BHUBANESWAR: With only two weeks left for the bypoll to the Padampur Assembly seat to be held on December 5, the question of whether Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will physically campaign for the party candidate Barsha Singh Bariha is being asked.
The party now wants to put the Dhamnagar experience behind it where the chief minister addressed the voters virtually. The BJD converted the virtual address of the CM to a massive show of strength, however, it did not had the impact like the earlier by-elections.
Sources said that several senior leaders related to campaign in Padampur will approach the chief minister to consider campaigning for the party candidate physically as the situation in the constituency is different. The BJP has already launched a high profile campaigning in the constituency and it is likely that several union ministers will visit the area soon to woo the voters.
A senior leader told this paper that Naveen’s visit to the area will have a different impact on the voters than a virtual address. With the BJP making neglect of the constituency during the last 20 years a major issue, the chief minister’s direct contact with the voters is necessary, he added.The BJD has already announced its star campaigners’ list, which also features the chief minister as the head.