Sambalpur (Odisha), May 2 (PTI) BJP leader and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who filed his nomination from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat in Odisha on Thursday, expressed confidence that his party will win not only the general elections but also the assembly polls in the state.
Returning to the electoral fray after 15 years, 54-year-old Pradhan visited Samaleswari Temple here in the morning to seek blessings. He then participated in a two-hour-long road show from the temple to the DC office where he filed the nomination.
“There is a demand for change in Odisha and the BJP is determined to win not only the Lok Sabha polls but also the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a clarion call of ‘400 paar’ and I am confident that all 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha will be won by the BJP,” he told PTI.
“What did the BJD government do for over 24 years in the state…even basics facilities like water and road are not available here. These are the election issues this time and people will vote accordingly,” he added.
Waving at his supporters who were dancing to the tunes of Odia folk songs being performed by various groups during the road show, Pradhan exuded confidence about his victory from the seat.
Polling is scheduled in Sambalpur in the sixth phase of general elections on May 25.
The high-profile Sambalpur constituency, which is the epicentre of western Odisha, is gearing up for a heated contest between Congress’ Nagendra Pradhan, Dharmendra Pradhan and BJD’s Pranab Prakash Das.
Nagendra Pradhan had won the constituency on a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ticket in 2014 polls.
Dharmendra Pradhan, who is a cabinet minister in the Modi government, is contesting elections after a gap of 15 years. He had last contested elections in 2009 after the BJP-BJD alliance had ended. He lost the assembly poll that year.
Pradhan was elected to the Odisha Assembly in 2000 and to the Lok Sabha from Deogarh seat in 2004.
He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar in 2012 and again in 2018 from Madhya Pradesh.
Popularly known as the “Ujjwala” man, Pradhan is credited with being the longest serving Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Pradhan, who hails from Talcher, was born on June 26, 1969 in Odisha. He is the son of Debendra Pradhan who was also a minister of state in the Vajpayee government between 1999 and 2004.
Pradhan began his political career in 1983 as an ABVP activist and was elected as its secretary. He also worked as a BJP’s election in-charge in Bihar and as an in-charge of party affairs in Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Odisha and Jharkhand. PTI GJS KVK KVK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.