BHUBANESWAR: Ajit Mangaraj, the Congress candidate for Pipili byelection, on Saturday said he has tested positive for Covid-19. In a Facebook post, Mangaraj said he is undergoing treatment and urged his followers to work hard and ensure the party’s victory in the bypoll. The Congress candidate also appealed to his supporters to stay united and not fall for rumours.
Mangaraj fell sick while campaigning on Wednesday and have stayed away since then. Senior Congress leaders like AICC secretary Rudra Raju, former state president Jayadev Jena, Chiranjib Biswal, Taraprasad Bahinipati and Suresh Routray took charge of the party’s campaign in Pipili.
“There is strong support for the Congress party among the people in Pipili. We are confident of doing well in the byelection,” Raju said during the campaign.
Heavyweights of ruling BJD and opposition BJP, meanwhile, continued with their high-decible campaign in the constituency. BJP state president Samir Mohanty, leader of opposition in the assembly Pradipta Kumar Naik and other senior leaders held rallies and road shows in different panchayats for party candidate Ashrit Pattanayak.
Mohanty said people of Pipili will vote for BJP this time as they were inspired by the development of the Narendra Modi government. He also slammed the ruling BJD for the lack of development in the constituency and using women self-help group members as the party’s vote bank without ensuring their development.
Senior BJD leaders including ministers held meetings in different panchayats and sought vote for Rudra Pratap Maharathy. BJD leaders said former MLA Pradeep Maharathy, whose death necessitated the byelection in Pipili, had done a lot of development work in the constituency.
“The kind of support we are getting during our visit to different panchayats shows that people have made up their mind to vote for the BJD to continue the development,” said party leader Anubhav Patnaik. Meanwhile, the BJP accused the BJD of assaulting its workers, including state secretary of the party’s Mahila Morcha, Rashmirekha Das, and booth worker Saroj Sethi. The party also lodged a complaint in Pipili police station and demanded action.