Bhubaneswar: Campaigning for Odisha’s four Lok Sabha and 28 Assembly seats, slated for polling May 13, came to an end on Saturday with a slew of prominent leaders from major political parties embarking on rapid-fire tours of constituencies in southern and western parts of the state.
Polling is scheduled for Nabarangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi, and Berhampur Lok Sabha seats, along with 28 assembly segments under these constituencies.
Spearheading the BJP’s campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh crisscrossed the poll-bound areas, addressing a multitude of rallies.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, and former Tripura CM Biplab Deb also canvassed for the BJP in these seats.
For the ruling BJD, party president and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, seeking a sixth term, and his close aide V K Pandian conducted extensive tours of the poll-bound areas.
Pandian, particularly, toured extensively across multiple assembly segments slated for polling in the first phase.
Conversely, the Congress campaign lagged, with top leaders like party president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra notably absent from the initial phase campaign.
Although Rahul Gandhi was slated to address a rally in tribal-dominated Rayagada district, he canceled his tour at the last moment due to other commitments. Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel campaigned for Congress candidates in Kalahandi and Koraput Lok Sabha seats instead.
A total of 37 MP candidates and 243 MLA candidates, including heavyweight leaders from the BJD, BJP, and Congress, are contesting in the first phase assembly elections in Odisha. Ramesh Majhi, Pradeep Majhi, Bhrugu Baxipatra, and Dibya Shankar Mishra are among the key candidates from the BJD.
From the Congress, Saptagiri Ulaka, Sarat Pattanayak, Taraprasad Bahinipati, Bhakta Das, and Bijay Patnaik are among those vying for seats.
To ensure transparency and prevent malpractices, the Election Commission has decided to conduct live webcasting in 60 per cent of the total 7,303 polling stations across the four Lok Sabha and 28 assembly constituencies.
Moreover, over 1,264 polling stations, including all booths in Maoist-affected areas, have been identified as critical booths. The voting process will involve 53,000 polling personnel, with 715 all-women booths and 39 booths run by PwD staff among the arrangements.
PTI