Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik featured in the list of 40 star campaigners for Brajrajnagar by-election released by the party on Tuesday.
The Assembly seat is scheduled to go to polls on May 31 and is likely to witness a triangular fight between BJD’s Alaka Mohanty, former MLA Radharani Panda of BJP and Kishore Chandra Patel of Congress.
While Naveen may hit the campaign trail in Brajarajnagar if required, the list includes just one Ollywood actor – Arindam Roy. More BJD leaders from western Odisha and five women feature in the list.
As per the list submitted to the Election Commission of India by the BJP, 5 Union Ministers will campaign in support of its candidate in the byelection. They are Piyush Goel, Dharmendra Pradhan, Pralhad Joshi, Aswini Viashnaw and Biseswar Tudu.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar will campaign for Congress candidate Kishore Chandra Patel. Odisha in-charge A Chellakumar, OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik, Kantabanji MLA Santosh Singh Saluja, former OPCC president Sarat Patnaik, former OPCC president Jayadev Jena, Barabati-Cuttack MLA Mohammed Moquim, Balangir MLA Narasingha Mishra, Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Jatni MLA Suresh Kumar Routray will also participate in the campaign.
A total of 2,14,261 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the bypoll, which was necessitated due to the death of Brajarajnagar MLA of BJD Kishore Kumar Mohanty on December 30 last year. While the bypoll will be held from 7 am to 6 pm on May 31, the counting of votes will take place on June 3.
