Sambalpur: The family members of late Subal Sahu former Congress MLA from Bijepur and his wife Rita Sahu, sitting BJD MLA from the constituency, have thanked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for deciding to contest from Bijepur Assembly seat.
Ainthu Sahu, elder brother of Subal Sahu, had appreciated the decision of the BJD supremo and said, “Naveen Patnaik has made the best choice to contest from Bijepur constituency. My entire family welcomes Patnaik to our place.”
He further said, “I feel more privileged that none other than a chief minister will represent the constituency held by my late brother and my sister-in-law Rita Sahu, the sitting MLA.”
A jubilant Ainthu Sahu further said, “We have already got a chief minister from Western Odisha and Bijepur in Particular.”
The development of the constituency will be accelerated further with Patnaik as MLA, he said, adding that Naveen did all that he promised in the by-election.
Bijepur, he said, will make a history with a chief minister from here. “This time the BJD chief will get more votes than that of the by-election,” a confident Sahu said.
Welcoming the decision, Rita Sahu said, “It is our good luck that Naveen Patnaik expressed interest to contest election from here.”
After R N Singhdeo and Hemananda Biswal, she said, “Naveen Patnaik will be another strong chief minister from western Odisha.”
The Opposition Congress and the BJP leaders, however, have opined that the chief minister is not confident of winning his traditional Assembly seat from Hinjili this time and so he has decided to have another Assembly seat in western Odisha.