Berhampur, Apr 2: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released its first list of 112 candidates for the upcoming Odisha Assembly elections, fielding party's state executive member Sisir Mishra against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from his home turf Hinjili in Ganjam district.

58-year-old Mishra, the grandson of freedom fighter Jagannath Mishra, alleged that though Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik continued to win the Assembly elections from Hinjili five times in a row since 2000, the migration of local people to other states in search of work was not addressed properly.

"We have two blocks -- Seragarh and Hinjili. People from these two blocks migrate to other states such as Gujarat and Maharashtra in search of work. People leave their houses because they do not get jobs locally. There is no end to the miseries of people in Hinjili. Patnaik has never attempted to solve the migration problem in the Hinjili assembly segment," he said.

Mishra had worked as coordinator for BJP candidate and lawyer Pitambar Acharya in Hinjili during the 2019 polls.
Mishra also said his late elder brother Sarat Mishra was a prominent BJP leader and worked towards creating a support base for the saffron party in Ganjam district.

"I am a local man, born and brought up in Hinjili. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, though elected from Hinjili for five times, is instead an outsider. Local people used to see him once or twice during elections every five years. I am with people all 365 days,” he said.

Mishra asserted that the BJP is steadily gaining people's support in Hinjili, citing recent electoral performances.

BJP had fiercely contested the Hinjili municipal elections, securing 5,200 votes compared to the ruling party’s 6,400, he mentioned.

Odisha will vote in the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls, which are being held simultaneously, in four phases. The polling will be held on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.

Read More Odisha News

Argus News | argus news | Odisha Latest News, Breaking News, Trending News, Live TV