Soon after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) nominated senior leader Prasanna Acharya for the Sambalpur Assembly seat, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sambalpur candidate, Jayanarayan Mishra took a swipe at the ruling party.
The selection of Acharya reflects BJD's hatred towards Sambalpur as it is fielding outsiders here, said Mishra.
“There is nothing to be surprised. The first thing is that he is not a person from Sambalpur district. Second, he is marked by an anti-Sambalpur feeling. People know him for several bad reasons like speaking about dividing Sambalpur into four parts and putting hurdles in the development of the district. It is up to the people to decide,” he added.
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Referring to the BJD's Sambalpur Lok Sabha candidate, Pranab Prakash Das, he said the BJD is fielding candidates from Jajpur and Bargarh districts in Sambalpur and the people of the district will give them a befitting reply.
No comments were received from the BJD in this regard.
With the announcement of Acharya’s name, the speculations of former Sambalpur MLA Raseswari Panigrahi getting a ticket were put to rest.
She too accepted the party’s decision wholeheartedly.
“The Chief Minister is our top leader. He is the party’s president as well. He must have taken the decision after much deliberation. So I have nothing to say about the choice of the candidate. As a party member, I will accept the decision,” said Panigrahi.