Bijepur bypoll: BJD president Patnaik, Union Minister Irani to hit campaign trail today

Bijepur: With only three days left for the Bijepur bypoll, parties have geared up for a high voltage campaign.

While BJD president Naveen Patnaik will hit bypoll campaign trail as a star campaigner of the ruling party today, Union Textile, Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani will join campaign for BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi.

Patnaik will be holding a six-km roadshow from Barpali to Kumbhari village for party candidate Rita Sahu, said sources. The roadshow will pass through Dhirpur, the native place of BJP contestant from the seat, Ashok Panigrahi.

Patnaik, who will be here for two days, will visit all the gram panchayats in the Bijepur segment, sources added.

On the other hand, Irani will hit the trail for Panigrahi in Barpali town.

Several Union ministers, including Santosh Gangwar, Swadhi Niranjana, Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram have visited the assembly constituency over the past weeks to campaign for Panigrahi.

Congress candidate Pranaya Sahu had been campaigning in Bijepur accompanied by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan, senior leader Narasingha Mishra and former Union minister Srikant Jena.

Meanwhile, police raided the Bargarh party office of BJP late last night. During the raid, BJP Legislature Party leader KV Singh Deo and MLA Pradeep Purohit were present at the party office. The saffron party leaders alleged that police misbehaved with them as well as some women activists present at the office.

Protesting the police action, Singh Deo, Purohit and members of youth and women wings of BJP later sat on a dharna at the Gaisilat police station.

Similarly, BJP State vice president Samir Mohanty accompanied by party activists sat on a dharna near the DGP's camp office in Bhubaneswar till late night protesting the police raid.

(With agency inputs)