Lok Sabha Polls 2019: PM Modi to address rallies in Odisha's Sundergarh, Sonepur today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other star campaigners of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will campaign in Odisha over the next two days. While PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to address two election rallies in Sundergarh and Sonepur on Saturday, BJP chief Amit Shah would attend the BJP's Vijay Sankalp Samabesh at Polasara in Ganjam district and Bargarh on Sunday. Shah would further take out a roadshow from Singha Dwara of Shree Jagannath Temple to Badasankha in Puri on April 9, party sources said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also scheduled to attend a public meeting at Berhampur on Saturday. Yogi, along with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP national vice president Jay Panda, senior leader Bijoy Mohapatra will attend party’s Vijay Sankalp Samabesh at Ambapua Vivek Vihar in Silk City.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had slammed the Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government for “not cooperating” with the Centre to bring about speedy development in the state and said he has taken advantage of central schemes to ensure the welfare of Odiyas. “The government in Odisha did not cooperate with us. Despite its indifference, we did our best in launching development projects in the state,” Modi said, while addressing a rally in the western Odisha town of Bhawanipatna.

This chowkidar (watchman) has taken advantage of Centre’s schemes to ensure the welfare of the Odiyas, he insisted. If the BJP had formed a government in Odisha after the 2014 election, the state would have witnessed “speedy development in all sectors”, he claimed. Calling upon the people to vote for the double-engine government of the BJP at the Centre and the state, Modi said Odisha should repeat the history created by Uttar Pradesh in 2017 and Tripura in 2018.

On the other hand, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also scheduled to visit south Odisha to campaign for his candidates on April 9, informed OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik. Rahul Gandhi is likely to attend a public meeting at Digapahandi in Ganjam district.

Election to the 14 Lok Sabha seats and 147-member Odisha Assembly would be held in four phases starting from April 11.