Nuapada by-election: BJD president Naveen Patnaik to campaign in Komna

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik will campaign in Komna for the Nuapada by-election and seek votes for party candidate Snehangini Chhuria.

In a video message, Patnaik announced his visit to Komna in Nuapada Assembly constituency on November 3 to campaign for his party. The video features Patnaik’s signature line -“Aapana mane khusita?” – a crowd favourite from his 2019 campaign trail.

“Jai Jagannath. I extend my greetings to the brother and sisters of Komana. I am coming to Komana on November 3. I will meet and interact with you. Aapana mane khusita?,” he said in the video message.

Ahead of his visit, BJD Youth and Students’ wings staged demonstrations in Nuapada, accusing the District Collector and SP of acting as “star campaigners of the BJP” while senior BJD leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar from Bhubaneswar urged the district administration to maintain impartiality during the elections.

It is to be noted here that the Nuapada by-election will be held on November 11 while the counting of votes on November 14. The by-election was necessitated following the untimely death of sitting MLA Rajenda Dholakia, who died on September 8 while undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments at a private hospital in Chennai.