Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Amit Shah will be back in Odisha again on May 17 and address BJP’s Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Rourkela as part of the party’s campaign blitzkrieg ahead of the second-round elections in the state on May 20.
The BJP stalwart also addressed a rally in Soroda and then headed for Boudh before conducting a roadshow in Cuttack city.
Addressing a presser, BJD state vice president Golak Mohapatra on Wednesday further informed that party national president J P Nadda will arrive in Bhubaneswar in the evening and attend a women convention on Subhadra Yojana, under which every woman will a get cash voucher of Rs 50,000 if it comes to power. “The following morning, he will conduct a roadshow from Mausi Maa temple to Lingaraj temple in the city. He will also address two rallies in Padampur in Bargarh and Sundargarh town in the afternoon,” he said.
Nadda was earlier scheduled to address a rally in Hinjili, the home turf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from where he is seeking re-elections for the sixth term. However, it no longer features in his itinerary. The party had earlier removed Kanjabanji from Shah’s May 15 itinerary. Naveen is contesting from Kantabanji, apart from his usual Hinjili seat.
3 CMs to launch Campaign Trail
Mohaptra further informed that Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai will also campaign for the party in the state on May 16. “The Assam CM will address four public meeting in Brajranagar in Jharsuguda district, Bonai in Sundargarh, Attabira in Bargarh, and Jatni in Khurda. Sai will campaign in Talsara in Sundargarh, Bijepur in Bargarh and Birmaharajpur in Balangir,” he said.
On May 17, Himanta will address five rallies in Kabisuryanagar in Ganjam district, Kantabanji in Balangir, Nousingha and Satyabadi and Pipili in Puri. The Chhattisgarh CM will attend public meetings in Sundargarh, Rajgangpur and Biramitrapur.
Hema Malini to visit Odisha
He further said that veteran actor and BJP leader Hema Malini will arrive in Odisha on May 17 and address rallies in Bhubaneswar North and Kishorenagar in Cuttack. She will also participate in a roadshow at Pipili. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Bhajan Lal Sharma will address rallies at Sanakhemundi under Aska parliamentary constituency and Daspalla and G Udayagiri in Kandhamal on May 17, he said.
Ashwini Vaishnaw on 2-day visit
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will also be in Odisha on a two-day visit from May 17. “He will address rallies at Narasinghpur and Athagarh in Cuttack district on May 17 and attend two public meetings in Sundargarh on May 18,” he added.
Odisha will vote simultaneously for five Lok Sabha seats – Bargarh, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kandhamal and Aska – and 35 Vidhan Sabha segments under them on May 20.
On that very day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to visit Odisha again. He will hold a roadshow in Puri in the morning and later address two rallies in Cuttack and Angul. This will be PM Modi’s third visit to the state within a span of two weeks. Modi had earlier conducted a roadshow in Bhubaneswar.