LS Polls: PM Modi holds roadshow in Puri, Sambit Patra by his side

Puri (Odisha) [India], May 20 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in the holy city of Puri on Monday morning. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Puri Sambit Patra was also seen participating in the roadshow along with him.
Patra had lost the election in 2019 to Pinaki Mishra of the BJD. This time he faces Congress' Jaya Narayan Patnayak and BJD's Arup Patnaik.
Hundreds of people lined up on both sides of the road and on terraces to get a glimpse of the Prime Minister, waving cut-out Modi posters and waving the party flag.
The Prime Minister is on a day-long visit to Odisha and West Bengal on Monday. He is slated to hold two public meetings at Dhenkanal and Cuttack in Odisha and Tamluk and Jhargram in West Bengal later in the day.
Earlier in the day, PM Narendra Modi urged voters to cast their franchise in record numbers for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, making a special plea to women and young voters to actively participate in the festival of democracy.
"As 49 seats across 8 states and UTs go to the polls today in the 5th phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, I urge all those whose constituencies are polling today to vote in record numbers. I especially appeal to women and young voters to participate enthusiastically in this festival of democracy," read the post by the Prime Minister on X.
Voting for the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Monday morning across 49 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) amid tight security and arrangements.
The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4.
The Narendra Modi-led BJP is seeking a third term in power, while the opposition INDIA bloc is aiming to wrest power by stopping the juggernaut. (ANI)