The campaign by the State’s major political parties BJD, BJP and Congress for the Assembly by-elections to the Baleswar Sadar and Tirtol constituencies has gained momentum ahead of the polling scheduled on November 3.
In view of the Covid-19 guidelines, leaders are trying to woo the voters through various mediums, including door-to-door campaign and virtual rallies.
However, it is yet uncertain if and when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would go for campaigning for the by-polls.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan campaigned in Tirtol and Baleswar Sadar on Friday and Saturday, respectively, and slammed the ruling BJD and sought the voters’ support for the BJP candidates. He accused the State Government of Covid mismanagement and held it responsible for the growing unemployment, chit fund scam and poor healthcare infrastructure.
Claiming that the Central Government released to the State Rs 22,267 crore, including Rs 922. 48 crore for Baleswar, for the Covid-19 battle, he said the health service in the State is in a precarious condition. He also alleged that the funds provided by the Centre to the Sate are not properly utilised.Odisha Congress in-charge A Chella Kumar and PCC president Niranjan Patnaik and working president Pradeep Majhi campaigned for the party candidate in Baleswar Sadar and Tirtol on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
While stating that the BJP Government at the Centre and the BJD Government in the State have failed to carry out development works, they asserted that whatever tangible development has taken place in the State, it was only when the Congress was in power.
They pointed out that the spinning mills at Tirtol and elsewhere in the State set up during the Congress rule have been shut down after the BJD came to power.
Had these spinning mills been revived, migrant workers who returned from other States during the Covid pandemic could have been employed there without being forced to return to their former workplaces in search of their livelihood, they said.
The BJD, on its part, has deployed several Ministers and senior leaders in the two constituencies to retain the Tirtol seat and wrest Baleswar Sadar from the BJP.
The BJD leaders say that they are confident of winning both by-polls due to the popularity of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as the State Government has ushered in several development works in the constituencies.