Bhubaneswar: The high-octane campaigning for the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha will come to an end today.
As many as 40 candidates are contesting from five Lok Sabha seats while 265 candidates are in fray for 35 Assembly seats. As many as 79,62,148 voters will exercise their franchise in the second phase of elections scheduled for May 20.
With a few hours left for the end of campaigning, top leaders of the BJD and the opposition BJP are making a last-gasp effort to woo voters.
Voting will be held in Lok Sabha constituencies including Balangir, Bargarh, Sundergarh, Kandhamal and Aska.
The prominent contenders in phase two include Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, former Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey, former Union Minister and hotelier Dilip Ray, Achyuta Samanta, Niranjan Pujari, Pradip Amat and BJP’s four-time Lok Sabha Sangeeta Singh Deo.
With just two days left for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election, and the second for Odisha, Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and Congress Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi already hit the campaign trail canvassing support for their respective parties.
On the last day of campaign, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is scheduled to address public at Banai in Sundargarh and Rajgangpur.
BJP’s star campaigner MP Hema Malini will seek votes for party candidates in Angul, Pallahara and Deogarh by addressing public meetings and holding road shows.
