BARIPADA; Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram and Chief Minister of neighbouring Jharkhand Raghubar Das campaigned for BJP-sponsored candidates on Saturday in Mayurbhanj district, which witnessed a saffron surge in the last two phases of panchayat election.
While Das addressed three public meetings in Raruan, Sukruli and Bahalda blocks, Jual attended two meetings in Rairangpur and Jashipur blocks. Dharmendra addressed a public meeting in Tangabila near Karanjia.
Das, in his address, compared the pace of progress in Jharkhand and Odisha and said that Odisha was lagging behind in terms of development.
Jual, while addressing a meeting at Asana and another at Halada in ZP zone 45 under Rairangpur block, alleged that tribals and weaker sections of the society are not being given justice under Naveen-led BJD Government. “There is an urgent need to change this regime at the earliest,” he said. Pradhan stressed on the role of people of Mayurbhanj in bringing about a ‘great political change’ in Odisha.
“Mayurbhanj, in the last three phases of panchayat elections, has already given enough indication of what the people want and how strongly they seek to throw this BJD government out of power,” he said.
While 10 ZP zones, with a total of 976 polling booths, spread over five blocks of Mayurbhanj, are going to polls in the fourth phase on Sunday, the remaining 14 ZP zones with 1,087 booths spread over seven blocks will vote on Tuesday.