Bhubaneswar, May 19: The Odisha unit of the BJP on Saturday demonstrated 'collective leadership' and held roadshows in Balasore and Kendrapara Lok Sabha seats, attended by the state’s top five leaders.

The BJP's Odisha president Manmohan Samal, Union Minister and Sambalpur LS candidate Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, party’s national vice-president Baijayant Panda and Balasore MP and party candidate Pratap Sarangi participated in the roadshows.

The top BJP leaders highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for development and 24 years of alleged “misgovernance” of Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government. They also showed people they were fighting the elections to oust the "corrupt and inefficient" BJD government.

The five leaders came down heavily on the BJD government and accused it of pushing the state’s development 50 years back.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the wave of change has picked up pace in Odisha.

"People of the state have made up their minds for a major change in the state. Due to the failure of those who have been in power for 25 years - they disappointed the Odia people - there is huge resentment. The issue is the development and self-respect of Odisha. People of Odisha are going to vote as per that," Pradhan said.

After the roadshows, the senior BJP leaders held discussions and chalked out strategies with party leaders, candidates and workers on how to win both the Balasore and Kendrapara Lok Sabha seats, besides winning in all the assembly seats under their segments.

Earlier on May 13, the five top leaders of the BJP held a joint media conference in Bhubaneswar and slammed the Naveen Patnaik government for its failure to bring prosperity to the state despite being in power for 24 years, rising rate of unemployment, atrocities on women, missing keys of 'Ratna Bhandar' of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s over-reliance on bureaucrats to run the administration etc.

The assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha are being held across four phases--from May 13 to June 1.

Polling for the first phase was conducted in 28 Assembly seats and four Lok Sabha constituencies on May 13. In the fifth phase, 35 Assembly seats and five Lok Sabha constituencies will vote on May 20, 42 Assembly segments and six Lok Sabha seats on May 25 and the remaining 42 Assembly seats and six Lok Sabha constituencies in the last phase on June 1.

The results will be out on June 4.

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