Majhi greets Odisha people on Diwali

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Thursday wished people on the occasion of Diwali and emphasised his government’s commitment to take the state to new heights.

“My heartiest congratulations to all the brothers and sisters of Odisha on the occasion of Diwali, the festival of light and joy. On this occasion, I pray to Lord Jagannath that darkness be removed from everyone’s life,” Majhi said in a video message on his X handle.

Majhi, accompanied by his wife Priyanka Marandi, visited the Unit-1 market in Bhubaneswar and purchased ‘diyas’ and puja items.

His visit drew a huge crowd as a large number of people gathered to witness the chief minister buying materials in the market.

“The chief minister purchased puja materials worth Rs 2,000 from my shop. I am delighted,” Tribeni Sahu, a shopkeeper, said.

Pappu, another young man selling rangoli, said the vendors were delighted to find the chief minister among them.

“This was probably for the first time that a chief minister has walked down the streets of the local market for Diwali shopping,” he said.

Pappu said the chief minister had to leave in a hurry because of the growing crowd around him.

Sahu said all her items were sold out as people bought materials from her shop soon after the chief minister left the place.

Speaking to reporters, Majhi said, “This is nothing new. I have been purchasing Diwali items from the Unit-1 market for a long time. There has been no difference for me. I want street vendors to prosper.”

After marketing for Diwali, Majhi embarked on a two-day visit to his home district of Keonjhar. He departed for Keonjhar at 11.20 am on a special flight from Biju Patnaik International Airport here.

According to Majhi’s itinerary, he is scheduled to attend a family function at Raikala village in Keonjhar.