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Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday held a roadshow in support of BJP Lok Sabha candidate and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Odisha's Sambalpur.
Polling for Sambalpur will be held on May 25. Dharmendra Pradhan is up against three-time MLA Pranab Prakash Das of the BJD and Nagendra Pradhan of Congress. During the roadshow, Giriraj attacked the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government and said while speaking to ANI, "Naveen Babu's government has been in Odisha for the last 25 years. He said that he would leave his chair at the age of 75. The people of Odisha want to know if no one else is eligible to be the CM... They have made it the poorest state, even though it is full of minerals." "You cannot celebrate Hanuman Jayanti here. If not here, then will we celebrate it? In Pakistan, Bangladesh or Malaysia? The Waqf board is doing 'Land Jihad'. We will conduct an inquiry into land from 1947 and distribute it amongst Hindus...," he alleged. The BJP leader expressed confidence that Dharmendra Pradhan would win the seat with a huge vote margin. He added: "Dharmendra Pradhan will win with lakhs of votes. We will win at least 18 seats in Odisha... We will send the sand and mineral mafia to jail..." Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha are being held simultaneously in four phases, running from May 13 to June 1. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8, and the Congress bagged just a lone seat. In the 2014 general elections, the BJD won 20 seats and the BJP managed to secure one seat. In the 2019 Assembly election, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won 112 out of 146 seats, while Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 23 seats and Congress won 9. The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4. (ANI)
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