BHUBANESWAR: Even as BJD is still busy choosing candidates for some Assembly seats, the party has started working on its campaign strategy and if Ollywood actors are to be believed, they are very much a part of it.
On Friday, a host of actors, comedians and singers of the Odia film industry visited Chief Minister and party supremo Naveen Patnaik and 5T chairman VK Pandian at Naveen Nivas.
While the party officials were tightlipped on the purpose of the visit, some actors revealed since they will be a part of the party’s campaigns ahead of the elections, they were educated on the various development work undertaken by BJD since the last elections and the party’s vision for the state in the next decade.
Actors Babushan Mohanty, Amlan Das, Jyoti, Bhumika, Shailendra, Supriya, singer Tariq Aziz, comedians Pappu Pom Pom, Guddu, Pragyan Ranjan Khatua and Shankar Pradhan, director Ashwini Tripathy and his compere wife Prerana, among others, met the chief minister and attended a meeting addressed by the 5T chairman.
“Since we actors will campaign for the party, we were told we need to be aware of various projects that the BJD government has implemented in the state and its future plans. We were informed about the development works,” said popular comedian Pragyan Khatua.
Actress Supriya added the meeting agenda included discussions on BJD’s 10-year development plan, from 2024 to 2034, for Odisha. However, Pappu Pom Pom said the meeting had nothing to do with elections or campaigning. “The chief minister and 5T chairman spoke to us about the development of Odia film industry,” he said.
Also in attendance were a few social media influencers. The meeting comes at a time when the star faces of the ruling party - Anubhav Mohanty, Akash Das Nayak, Sidhant Mohapatra and Arindam Roy - deserted the party for BJP. Sources said with almost no star campaigners left in the party now, the BJD plans to rope in existing young stars to pull crowds during campaigns.