Election campaigning gathers steam in Dhamnagar 

Campaigning for the by-election to Dhamnagar Assembly constituency in Bhadrak district has picked up with four prominent candidates in the fray leaving no stone unturned to woo voters. 

While streets, lanes and by-lanes are dotted with banners and posters of the candidates; bike rallies, meetings and road shows are being organised on a regular basis. 

Suryavanshi Suraj, son of late MLA Bishnu Sethi, is contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. He is the first one to launch campaigning. Though he has pinned hope on his father’s public relations, he is going all out to woo voters. He along with his supporters and party workers is seen going around villages seeking people’s support for him. 

At the same time, the Biju Janata Dal’s star campaigners are canvassing for their party’s pick Abanti Das. The party leaders and workers are organizing bike rallies and road shows in several panchayats. 

On the other hand, Congress’s candidate for the bypoll, Baba Harekrushna Sethi has not fallen behind. Without star campaigners, posters, banners, rallies and road shows, he is doing campaigning in his own way. 

Independent candidate Rajendra Das, who has been expelled from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on the ground of antiparty activities, has been doing his campaigning. He, along with supporters, is visiting panchayats and villages, touching each and every house. 

At Dhamnagar NAC, he was accorded a huge welcome. He visited Khanquah Sharif to seek blessings and later held discussions with local people. Later, he garlanded the statue of former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.

(Reported by Partha Sarathi Nayak from Bhadrak, OTV Bureau)