May 4th 2024.
On a sunny Friday afternoon in the bustling city of Bhubaneswar, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is also the BJP candidate for Odisha's Sambalpur constituency, expressed his unwavering belief that his party will emerge victorious in all 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
In a press conference held at a local hotel, the confident leader confidently stated, "In the previous elections, BJP received 38 percent of the votes while our opponent received 42 percent. Despite the narrow margin, we were able to secure eight Lok Sabha seats. This time, I am certain that the Bharatiya Janata Party will sweep all 21 seats in Odisha."
Pradhan went on to boldly predict that BJP will also form the government in the state by winning the majority of the Assembly seats. He then went on to highlight the disparity in central funds received by the state during the Congress rule from 2004 to 2014 and the last 10 years of the Narendra Modi government. "Under the Congress rule, Odisha received a meagre Rs 3 lakh crore, but in the last decade, we have received around Rs 18 lakh crore," he exclaimed.
The Union Minister also pointed out the lack of basic amenities in many parts of the state despite the influx of such a large amount of funds. "There are still areas without access to clean drinking water and proper irrigation facilities. The school dropout rate is alarmingly high and cases of malnutrition are at an all-time high," he stated, highlighting the need for change.
In response, the ruling BJD party questioned the BJP leaders' efforts in safeguarding the pride of Odisha. Senior BJD leader, Sanjay Das Burma, questioned the steps taken by the BJP government for the development of the Odia language. "The Central government has allocated crores of rupees for the promotion of Sanskrit, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada languages. What has the BJP government done for the development of the Odia language?" he challenged.
The BJD also raised concerns over the rejection of the state government's proposal to grant classical status to Odissi music by the Central government.
The state of Odisha is gearing up for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, which will be held in four phases from May 13 to June 1. The results will be announced on June 4. Excitement is high as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Bhubaneswar on Saturday for a two-day visit. He is expected to participate in campaign programs in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Sambalpur. Similarly, BJP President J.P. Nadda will also be visiting Odisha on May 5 to attend two meetings in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The political atmosphere in Odisha is buzzing with anticipation and we can't wait to see the outcome of these elections.
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