Nor'wester To Bring Respite From Intense Heatwave In Odisha

Aparajita along with state BJP president Manmohan Samal, BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda, Sambalpur LS candidate Dharmendra Pradhan and Balasore MP candidate Pratap Sarangi were part of the roadshow in Balasore on Saturday.

"Central BJP's order was that five of us should go together and talk to our workers and listen to their problems and prepare for victory. We are all very excited. Workers are very excited. Ever since PM Modi said in Balangir that the people of Odisha should give us 5 years so that we can show what development is. PM told us that we will make Odisha the number 1 state in the country. BJP's CM will certainly take the oath on 10th June," Sarangi Said.

The assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha are being held across four phases--from May 13 to June 1. 
Polling for the first phase was conducted in 28 Assembly seats and four Lok Sabha constituencies on May 13. In the fifth phase, 35 Assembly seats and five Lok Sabha constituencies will vote on May 20, 42 Assembly segments and six Lok Sabha seats on May 25, and the remaining 42 Assembly seats and six Lok Sabha constituencies in the last phase on June 1.

The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

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Among the prominent candidates in the second round of simultaneous elections in the state are BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and his colleagues in the state government Bikram Arukha, Niranjan Pujari, PK Amat, Tukuni Sahu, and Rita Sahu.

Former Union Minister and Sundergarh's sitting MP Jual Oram, former Union Minister and hotelier Dilip Ray, four-time Lok Sabha MP Sangeeta Singh Deo are among the prominent candidates from the BJPin this round of elections.

A total of  40 candidates are contesting from Aska, Kandhamal, Balangir, Bargarh and Sundergarh Lok Sabha seats, while 265 are in the fray for 35 assembly constituencies.

Altogether 79.62 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise on May 20.

The voting will begin at 7 AM and end at 6 PM.

The state, during this round of electioneering, witnessed heavyweights of the ruling BJD, and the opposition BJP and Congress canvassing for their respective candidates.

Prominent leaders, who campaigned during this round of elections, included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sachin Pilot. 

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Dev Sai, Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal, Tripura’s ex-CM Biplab Kumar Deb, Bollywood's 'dream girl' and Mathura MP Hema Malini also hit the campaign trail for BJP candidates.

The election campaigning in this phase of polls witnessed violence in which a BJP worker was killed in Khallikote assembly segment of Ganjam district, the home district of the Chief Minister.  

Polling for the first phase was conducted in 28 Assembly seats and four Lok Sabha constituencies on May 13. In the fifth phase, 35 Assembly seats and five Lok Sabha constituencies will vote on May 20, 42 Assembly segments and six Lok Sabha seats on May 25 and the remaining 42 Assembly seats and six Lok Sabha constituencies in the last phase on June 1.

The results will be out on June 4.

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While speaking to the media, Vaishnaw said, "The people have made up their minds to make PM Narendra Modi the Prime Minister for the third time with a thumping majority. All the party workers, leaders and people will work hard to fulfil the dream of Viksit Bharat."

Jual Oram also expressed confidence in winning the elections and said, "The campaign response was very good and we will win all the seven seats in the state."

Meanwhile, the Railway Minister on this occasion received immense support from thousands of people. A crowd of thousands of people welcomed Vaishnav.

It is noteworthy that Vaishnaw has worked as a District Magistrate in this parliamentary constituency. At that time, Jual Oram was the MLA of Bonai. As District Magistrate, Vaishnaw had done work in the fields of public distribution systems, road infrastructure etc.

The assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the BJD-ruled state are being held across four phases--from May 13 to June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

Polling for the first phase was conducted in 28 Assembly seats and four Lok Sabha constituencies on May 13. In the fifth phase, 35 Assembly seats and five Lok Sabha constituencies will vote on May 20, 42 Assembly segments and six Lok Sabha seats on May 25 and the remaining 42 Assembly seats and six Lok Sabha constituencies in the last phase on June 1.