Dhamnagar bypoll: Dharmendra Pradhan to hit campaign trail Friday

BHUBANESWAR: With campaigning gaining pace for the Dhamnagar by-election, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will hit the streets to lend support to BJP’s candidate Suryabanshi Suraj Sthitapranjna on Friday.

Pradhan will undertake padayatra for two days from the Dhamnagar block headquarters, said BJP’s State general secretary Prithiviraj Harichandan. The Union Minister, among the 40 star campaigners of the party, will also hold road shows and address public meetings to seek votes for Suryabanshi. Pradhan will also hold a door-to-door campaign in the Assembly constituency which fell vacant after the untimely death of former MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi.

The other star campaigners of the party too will hit the campaign trail from October 28 to October 31. Apart from Pradhan, Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bishweswar Tudu will campaign for Suryabanshi. 

Meanwhile, BJP on Thursday petitioned the Chief Electoral Officer against Bhadrak district police for deliberately harassing party workers actively involved in campaigning for the Dhamnagar by-election. A delegation of the saffron party led by state BJP general secretary Lekhashree Samantasinghar submitted a memorandum to the office of the CEO alleging that the poll bound Dhamnagar police have issued notices under section 107 and 110 of the Code of Criminal procedure (CrPC) to about 932 workers of the party and forcing them to execute peace bond in the SDJM court.

“This is a conspiracy by BJD to harass and terrify BJP workers and a pliable police is playing into the hands of the ruling party by serving notice to our workers,” Samantasinghar said.