With only three days left for election to the Patkura Assembly seat, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday campaigned in the area to ensure victory of BJD candidate Sabitri Agarwal.
Campaigning in a air-conditioned hi-tech bus, Patnaik drew impressive crowd in each of the stopovers in the Patkura Assembly segment falling under Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency.
His speech was characteristically brief lasting a minute and confined to hardly three sentences. "Bless me with your votes. Elect the BJD candidate Sabitri Agarwal on conch symbol. I will personally take care of Patkura constituency", the BJD president said addressing crowd at various places of the constituency.
As Patnaik waved from the elevated platform of the hi-tech bus, there was large applause from the crowd, mostly comprising women, at all the places where Patnaik's campaign vehicle travelled.
"I had come to see Naveen Patnaik. I could catch a glimpse of our popular leader from close distance. However, I am yet to decide whom to vote", said a voter requesting not to be quoted from Badhakata village in Marshaghai block.
"Naveen Babu has committed to nurture Patkura. For two decades his government is in power. Still Patkura is underdeveloped. His promise is meant to woo the voters," said another voter from Raghudeipur village.
The BJD has deployed 50 MLAs, party leaders and ministers in 51 gram panchayats of the Assembly constituency to campaign for the party candidate.
BJP and Congress have also deployed senior leaders in electioneering.
Polling in Patkura Assembly seat which will be held on July 20 was initially scheduled on April 29, but it could not be held because of the death of BJD candidate Bed Prakash Agarwal on April 20. Then, the Election Commission fixed May 19 as the date for polls in Patkura.
However, later it was further postponed following cyclone Fani barreling through coastal districts on May 3.
Congress's Jayant Mohanty and BJP's Bijoy Mohapatra are also contesting the poll.
BJP nominee Mohapatra, one of the vociferous critics of Patnaik, is contesting from the seat in his bid to make an entry into state assembly after almost two decades.
Four-time MLA Mohapatra, one of the founders of the BJD, was ousted from the party by Patnaik just before the 2000 Assembly polls. Since then, he has not been able to make it to the state Assembly.
Mohapatra has always been a bitter critic of Odisha's longest-serving chief minister.
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