Bhubaneswar: Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan Monday asserted that Odisha is the “number one state” in terms of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and acceptability.
Pradhan also said Modi is committed to the development of Odisha, with the central government allocating Rs 18 lakh crore to the state during the past 10 years.
“We believe that Odisha is the number one state in the country when it comes to the popularity and acceptability of PM Narendra Modi. Different surveys and assessments show that the PM’s acceptability in Odisha is between 85 and 90 per cent,” he told reporters here.
The minister exuded confidence that the BJP will win 15-18 Lok Sabha seats out of 21 in the state during the upcoming elections.
“The BJP’s vote share in Odisha was just 22 per cent in 2014, and the party had won just one Lok Sabha seat. In 2019, the vote share increased to 38 per cent and the BJP won eight Lok Sabha seats.
“As per predictions made by national-level agencies, this time, BJP’s vote share in the state will rise to more than 45 per cent, and we will win 15 to 18 Lok Sabha seats,” Pradhan asserted.
He said the issues that would be in focus in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha from May 13 would be development of the youth, women, farmers and the poor.
“The Modi government has allotted Rs 18 lakh crore to Odisha during the past 10 years against the allocation of Rs 3 lakh crore made by the UPA governments from 2004 to 2014. It shows how determined he is for the development of Odisha,” Pradhan said.