Bhubaneswar: Hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that Naveen Patnaik would become a former chief minister after counting of votes on June 4, the ruling BJD president on Tuesday said that the saffron party will meet the same electoral fate as in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.
Patnaik in a video message said: “The Bhartiya Janata Party said they will form government in Karnataka, they failed. They also said the same for Telangana and failed. They said the same in Himachal Pradesh and also failed.”
“I am certain that their same reputation will continue in this elections in Odisha,” Patnaik, a five-time chief minister of Odisha said.
Earlier, Shah at three back-to-back election rallies had claimed that Patnaik would become a former chief minister after counting of votes on June 4, and the BJP is all set to form the government in Odisha by securing more than 75 of the 147 seats in the state.
Shah also claimed that the saffron party candidates will win in 17 of the state’s 21 Lok Sabha seats.
Stating that senior BJP leaders such as chief ministers and cabinet ministers are visiting Odisha as guests, Patnaik said, “We expect them not to use poor language and make false allegations. This is not appreciated by the people of our state.”
Patnaik also said that he prays to Lord Jagannath that better sense prevails with BJP leaders.
PTI