SAMBALPUR: Organisational secretary of BJD and the party’s candidate from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat Pranab Prakash Das visited the Samaleswari temple here and offered prayers to the goddess on Friday.
Accompanied by a huge crowd of BJD workers, Das reached the shrine and sought blessings of Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur. Addressing mediapersons, he said, “Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has a soft corner for Sambalpur and I am grateful to him for choosing me as the candidate from Sambalpur. Development is the only agenda of our CM. The redeveloped Samaleswari temple is a bright example of his commitment. I promise to carry forward this trail of development in Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency.”
He further said, “I am overwhelmed to see the huge gathering of people who came to wish me today. My father had a relationship of around 60-70 years with Sambalpur. He completed his studies here. I always considered Sambalpur to be my second home. Today, the people here made me realise that it is indeed my home. I am thankful to the people of Sambalpur for showing faith in me.”
Prominent BJD leaders of Sambalpur including Rohit Pujari, Siddharta Das, Sanjit Mohanty and Sanjay Babu accompanied Das. While leaving Sambalpur, he met former MLA and senior party leader Raseswari Panigrahi at her residence.
Earlier in the day, Das visited Rairakhol and interacted with party workers there. He also went to Rengali and attended a public meeting. The BJD candidate assured the gathering that he would come back soon after names of all BJD candidates are announced. The meeting was organised by Bishal Das, son of former minister Naba Das.
Das, the sitting MLA of Jajpur, was declared the BJD candidate from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday. He will be locking horns with BJP candidate and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from the seat.