Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal President Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday kicked off his party’s campaign for a record sixth term from its home base of Hinjili, which falls in Aska Lok Sabha constituency in Ganjam district, and promised a ‘youth budget’, which will calling it “number 1” at its centenary in 2036, and labeling the opposition as “anti-development”.

As the BJD campaign jingle ‘5T, 5T, 5T, Naveen Guarantee’, ‘Nabin Odisha, mo pragati bhasha’ prepared the rally, Patnaik spoke briefly about farmers, women and his next top priority, the youth. “Today, farmers in Odisha are getting loans at zero percent interest. Mothers in Mission Shakti get loans at zero percent. Odisha is the first state to have a separate budget for farmers. To involve the youth in the development of the state, we will introduce a ‘youth budget’. 2024-2034 will be Odisha’s decade. In 2036, Odisha will celebrate 100 years as a state. By 2036, Odisha will become ‘number one’,” promised the veteran politician and longest-serving Prime Minister of India.

With 5T secretary and close aide VK Pandian on stage, Odisha’s gentleman politician targeted the opposition without naming anyone specifically. “Development is our identity. However, it is unfortunate that the opposition engages in politics on every issue, opposes development and spreads misinformation. Their anti-development stance, be it Shri Jagannath Prakalpa project, Ekamra project or Samalei project, is well recognized by the people of Odisha. The people of Odisha recognize the true face of the opposition,” Patnaik said. It is interesting to note that the three constituencies he targeted are Puri, Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur, which will witness a fierce battle this time. BJD had lost Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituencies and could retain Puri by a narrow margin.

In a repeat of the strategy in 2019, the five-time Odisha chief minister is contesting from two constituencies this time. Besides Hinjili, Patnaik will contest from Kantabanji in the western region of Odisha. The BJD leader has won consecutively from Hinjili since 2000. In 2019, Patnaik, contesting from Hinjili for the fifth time, won by a margin of over 60,000 votes or 42.9%, which was a slight decline from his 2014 winning margin of over 76,500 votes and 62.8% . In 2019, Patnaik won for the first time from Bijepur constituency in Bargarh district in western Odisha with a handsome margin of over 50,000 votes or 31.2%.

Addressing the voters of his constituency once again, Patnaik said, “I am happy to kick-start the 2024 campaign from Hinjili-Shergargh. The Biju Janata Dal’s victory march has started from Hinjili-Shergarh.” Patnaik thanked the people for their continuous support since 1998 and said he would continue to work for their welfare till the end. “You have always been with me. You have always been with me. supported our programs. You have given me an opportunity to serve Odisha. I am indebted to you for your support, love and respect. I have always said that the 4.5 crore brothers and sisters of Odisha have always worked relentlessly for the welfare of the 4.5 crore family of my Odisha and will continue to do so till the end of my time,” the soft-spoken politician vowed.

Amid applause and slogans of “Naveen Patnaik Zindabad”, the CM then addressed the voters of his constituency. “It is because of your cooperation that Odisha has progressed on the path of transformation. Hinjili-Shergargh is a development model for the I had started the 5T transformation of schools and hospitals from across the country from Hinjili-Shergarh Temple. The collaboration ensured the success of these projects and showed the way for the state of your support,” he said.

Odisha is going for simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in four phases starting from May 13. In his campaign for both elections, the chief minister, who remains popular even after five terms, pitched “Jodi sankha” (twin conch), as a symbol of development and Odisha. The conch is the election symbol of the BJD. “Jodi sankha is the symbol of Odisha. Jodi sankha is the symbol of development,” he said. “With your support, the BJD will achieve a resounding victory in the Vidhan Sabha and also do well in the Lok Sabha. Our victory procession will continue.”

Ranjita Sahu, the BJD’s Lok Sabha candidate from Aska seat, appealed for people’s support. “I represent women and young people. You must have seen the Prime Minister’s commitment to women empowerment. Many women have become financially independent through Mission Shakti and are also managing houses,” she said.

In 2019, BJD candidate Pramilla Bisoyi, a Self Help Group (SHG) worker in the state’s flagship program Mission Shakti, won the Aska Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 2 lakh votes, beating Anita Subhadarshini of BJP defeated.

Ranjita Sahu is a young activist who works for migrants. Ganjam is home to millions of migrant workers who leave their homes to work in diamond factories in Surat and elsewhere in Gujarat. This will be Sahu’s electoral debut and she will be pitted against Subhadarshini, who has been retained by the BJP. Naveen Patnaik’s first election was from the Aska Lok Sabha constituency, which fell vacant after the death of his father Biju Patnaik in 1997. Aska is one of the most prestigious constituencies in Odisha.

After the Prime Minister concluded his speech, Pandian, who was by his side, also addressed the gathering very briefly, urging people to vote against the CM and BJD’s Lok Sabha candidate Ranjita Sahu by record margins. to vote.