Odisha: BJP candidate Dharmendra Pradhan receives grand welcome from party supporters in Mayurbhanj

Mayurbhanj (Odisha) [India], May 27 (ANI): Union Minister and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur, Dharmendra Pradhan received a grand welcome from the public and party supporters alike during a rally in Mayurbhanj district.
Dharmendra Pradhan was welcomed by party supporters and the public at Badasahi, under the Balasore parliamentary constituency in Mayurbhanj.

Thousands of spectators gathered at the parliamentary constituency to catch a glimpse of the BJP leader.

Visuals show the leader being mobbed by the public as he made his way through the crowd of party supporters.
Union Minister and BJP candidate from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat, Dharmendra Pradhan was scheduled to hold a series of election rallies in Mayurbhanj on Sunday for the last phase of elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Odisha.
The Union Minister was to address election rallies at all the seven assembly segments under Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seats- Jashipur, Rairangpur, Bangriposi, Saraskana, Udala, Morada and Baripada.
Pitching for the formation of a "double-engine government" in Odisha, Union Minister and Sambalpur Lok Sabha BJP candidate Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday criticized the incumbent Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for failing to meet basic public needs despite 24 years of its governance in the state.
Pradhan highlighted key issues in the state under BJD's rule, including inadequate access to drinking water, poor irrigation infrastructure, a shortage of doctors in hospitals, and the lack of appointed teachers in primary schools.
Criticizing Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Pradhan remarked, "A Tamil man is attempting to take over Odisha."
He targeted BJD leaders and questioned whether the Chief Minister candidate for Odisha should be an Odia or an outsider.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is contesting against Congress party's Nagendra Kumar Pradhan in the Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP's Nitesh Ganga Deb won against BJD leader Nalini Kanta Pradhan by securing 473,770 votes.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the state, the Biju Janata Dal emerged as the largest single party, winning 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP had to be content with just a lone seat.
However, in the 2019 polls, the BJP came up with a much-improved showing, marking significant electoral strides to win 8 seats while the BJD's tally dropped to 12.
The improved presence was largely attributed to a boost in the BJP's organizational presence in the state.
The assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the BJD-ruled state are being held across four phases--from May 13 to June 1. The counting of votes for all phases in the state and elsewhere will be held on June 4. (ANI)