Prominent trade union leader Santosh Kumar Pattnaik opposed the candidature of Paradip Assembly seat of BJD Sambit Routray, son of rebel BJD leader Damodar Rout.
On March 30 afternoon, more than 1,500 men and women gathered in front of the Naveen Niwas led by Pattnaik and gave a demand note to BJD president and CM Naveen Patnaik for changing the Paradip MLA nominee.
Pattnaik told mediapersons that Dr Rout was a 40 years’ representative of Paradip under Biju Patnaik and Naveen Patnaik.
Now, he is a BJP candidate for Balikuda-Erasama. He is promising to defeat the BJD in the whole district and is strongly criticising CM Patnaik. “So we demand to change Rout's son. We will support any candidate except Sambit,” said Pattnaik.
“We are working under guidance of district BJD president Bishnu Das. Since 2000, we have been organising BJD party activities like Mahanadi Surakshya Abhiyan, Biju Patnaik's birthday function, besides collecting highest blood units in the State by Jeevan Bindu programme.
But Dr Rout always criticised the blood donation camp and ridiculed that the collected bloods are
HIV positive,” he said. Former chairman of Paradip Municipality and senior leader of Fishermen Community Gobind Chandra Tarai were present.
