Bhubaneswar, May 30: Ahead of the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan exuded confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win all 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha and also form government in the state.

In an interview with ANI, Pradhan said, "Till 2014, we (BJP) were third number party in the state. In 2019, we became the second number party...our party has got stronger. This time the biggest factor is Narendra Modi. The people of Odisha have huge faith in PM Modi."

"We will get 45 per cent vote share in Lok Sabha and I can say with full responsibility, that we will win 21 out of 21 seats in Odisha. We will also get a majority (in assembly) and we will get the opportunity to serve the state," he added.

Dharmendra Pradhan is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Odisha's Sambalpur constituency. Voting on the seat happened on May 25 in the fifth phase of polling.

Being asked if he is ready to shift his role to the state if the party gives him the responsibility of the state, the Union Minister said that he is only a 'worker' of the party. He added that the party's parliamentary board will decide the responsibility.

"I am a worker of my party. There is no scope for me to think outside the party's planning...There is a procedure in our party. There will be a Chief Minister and an Odia CM. The parliamentary board of the party will decide and there are several capable people, anyone could be there," he further said.

Speaking on BJD's campaign, he said, "It was the failure of 25 years. There was no originality."

"There is no village with a water connection. PM Modi sent Rs 10,000 crore for water. The villages don't get water for irrigation, and half of the government hospitals don't have doctors. 50 per cent of students drop out till matriculation. One-third of Odisha's population has gone out of the state. Did Naveen Babu or his outsourced campaigner ask about this?" Pradhan further said.

Naveen Patnaik (77) has been serving as the Chief Minister of Odisha since 2000 and is the second-longest serving CM of any Indian state. He is seeking a record sixth term in power in the state.

The assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha are taking place simultaneously, in four phases, from May 13 to June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. (ANI)

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