BJD will win comfortable majority after phase-3 polling, claims Pandian

Bhubaneswar: The BJD will get a comfortable majority after the third-round Assembly elections in Odisha, 5T chairman V K Pandian told a presser on Friday. “The BJD will be able to form the government after the third-round elections with the blessings of Lord Jagannath and the people of the state. The fourth-round election will be for improving the margin,” he asserted.

Pandian further said that the BJP leaders in the state are confined to their constituencies because of the strategy of the BJD and Naveen. “Since they are not able come out of their constituencies, national leaders of the party are campaigning for them. By abusing the CM, they are only helping BJD to improve its vote share. We are matured democracy, one should know where to draw the lines. Just for votes, you cannot demean great leaders. History will not forgive them. People of Odisha will also not forgive them and we will see the results on June 4,” he said.

Responding to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s continuing tirade against Naveen, the BJD leader said he would not like comment on his remarks since he is a guest to the state. “I would suggest that he pray to Lord Jagannath so that Assam in next 5-10 years reaches the level of Odisha. He should also find out how the CM is so powerful even after 24 years. He must have been in college or doing law in 1998 when Naveen babu was working with his guru’s guru. He was a minister in PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cabinet,” he said.

Pandian further claimed that the BJP is eyeing 30 Assembly seats. “This is their internal target. They have been talking about change since 2014 and Odisha has been experiencing Naveen wave since then. The BJP also welcomed an expelled BJD leader, who ran an SUV into a crowd comprising supporters of the saffron party, with open arms and gave him a ticket,” he added.