BHUBANESWAR: Even as several senior national leaders of the BJP campaigned for party candidate Ashrit Pattanayak for the Pipili bypoll, the ruling BJD has made massive arrangement ahead of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s virtual campaign on Monday.
Party sources said the Chief Minister will address the voters through video conference at 5.30 pm. Arrangements have been made in six Zilla Parishad zones from where around 8,000 to 10,000 people from eight to nine panchayats can listen to the speech of the Chief Minister. LED television sets will be installed in these places (three each in Pipili and Delang blocks of the constituency) for this purpose.
Separate arrangements will also be made for Pipili NAC. The ministers, party MLAs and senior leaders campaigning for party candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy will be stationed at these places. Party sources said all Covid-19 guidelines like wearing of masks and maintaining social distance will be strictly adhered during the programme.
Party vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra asserted that the BJD candidate will win with a bigger margin compared to the 2019 Assembly elections despite the aggressive campaign by the BJP. Meanwhile, the fate of Congress in the bypoll remains uncertain after party nominee Ajit Mangaraj tested Covid positive and was admitted to a private hospital in the city. Congress Odisha in-charge A Chellakumar is also not likely to visit Odisha after the government imposed restrictions on outsiders visiting the State in view of the surging Covid-19 cases.