Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday visited the city and had a darshan of goddess Budhi Thakurani in the presence of a huge number of BJD workers, leaders and Ministers.
Patnaik flew from Bhubaneswar and his helicopter landed at the City High School ground in the afternoon. This was the first time during his tenure of 17 years that the Chief Minister attended the Thakurani Yatra here. BJD Spokesperson Surjya Narayan Patro, Ministers Bikram Arukh and Usha Devi were present among host of other leaders.
The BJD supremo’s visit had significance because on Friday, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan had visited the Thakurani Yatra and paid his obeisance to the deity.
BJP national president Amit Shah is also scheduled to visit Ganjam district in May to take the party’s campaign to the booth-level. Ganjam district has remained a BJD bastion and the BJP wants desperately to breach it and they are leaving no stones unturned for it.
In the last panchayat polls, the BJP, despite doing well in many other parts of the State, did not fare well in Ganjam. The visit of Pradhan and Patnaik has heated up the political atmosphere in the district, feel political observers.
From the Thakurani Yatra, the Chief Minister went to the MKCG Medical College Hospital to attend the annual function of the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA). There was huge enthusiasm among BJD workers for the Chief Minister’s visit.
