BHADRAK: With less than a week left for the by-election to Dhamnagar Assembly Constituency, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Biseswar Tudu and BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra, on Friday, hit the campaign trail through padayatra in 14 gram panchayats and NAC areas in the segment.
While Pradhan launched roadshows from Dobal Bazar with thousands of workers and supporters and covered five panchayats and Dhamnagar NAC areas, Tudu started padyatra from Iswarpur in Tihidi block and covered Balighai, Shyamsundarpur, Taldumka, Uperdumka and Nuasahi of Tihidi block.
The Union Minister also held a public meeting in the evening at Basuli padia in the block.Patra also began his padayatra from Nrusingha temple in Achak gram panchayat in Tihidi block and covered five panchayats apart from addressing two public meetings at Paliabindha market and Prahari Padia. Later he spoke to the BJP workers and district office bearers.
Meanwhile BJP State president Samir Mohanty who has been camping here for the last 10 days, filed a petition with the District Collector-cum-Election Officer declaring the name and address of the woman who was alleged to have been distributing money to voters to vote for the BJD.
Alleging involvement of panchayat-level government employees in BJD election campaign, the State BJP chief also attached a video clip of a BJD leader in his petition who announced that CM Naveen Patnaik will grant Rs 1 crore to each panchayat for voting in favour of the BJD candidate.