PURI: Campaigning in Puri Parliamentary constituency and its Assembly segments, which will go to polls in the third phase on April 23, has gathered momentum.Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday addressed a public meeting at Siruli urging people to vote for BJP candidate for Puri Parliamentary constituency Sambit Patra and the party’s nominee for Satyabadi Assembly segment Om Prakash Mishra.
In the afternoon, Patra, along with Mishra, participated in 15 km road show from Bizipur to Badaputt gram panchayat. Later, several breakaway factions of BJD and Congress joined BJP in Patra’s presence.BJD candidate for Satyabadi Assembly segment Umakanta Samantaray participated in a massive bike rally covering almost all the villages of Kanas block. Congress candidate for the segment Prasad Harichandan too participated in a road show in the block. Interestingly, Mishra, Samantaray and Harichandan hail from Kanas. All the three candidates are trying their best to get maximum votes from the block.
In Puri, the BJD, which had been sluggish in its campaign, flexed its muscle on Wednesday and organised a mega youth show at Jhadeswari playground. The party’s district president and nominee for Puri Assembly seat Maheswar Mohanty, who is seeking his sixth consecutive term, encouraged youths to campaign for the party. He also went on door-to-door campaigning in various wards of the civic body urging people to vote for BJD.
BJP candidate for the seat Jayant Kumar Sarangi, who had joined the party after quitting the BJD, is busy campaigning in the city and its slums. The former Puri Municipality chairman has been focusing on Sadar block. Sarangi and Patra conducted door-to-door campaigns and requested the electorate to vote for BJP. They had visited Pentkota fishermen colony on Tuesday and also several slums seeking the blessings of voters.
Meanwhile, Patra on Tuesday night alleged harassment by BJD workers and said the BJP leaders were being threatened by the muscle men of the ruling party. He announced to launch a dharna in front of Sea Beach police station demanding action against the BJD workers.