Delhi, 25 April (H.S): On Thursday, union Home Minister Amit Shah, a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is all set to launch the party's campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha. His first stop will be Sonepur in western Odisha, where he will address a public meeting at Rameswaram Stadium.

This event is seen as a strategic move by BJP to counter the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the state. The party's state president, Manmohan Samal, has confirmed Shah's arrival at the Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda and his subsequent travel to Sonepur via helicopter. As per sources, Shah is scheduled to begin his speech at 4:35 pm.

The party has made all necessary arrangements for this highly anticipated event, and its vice-president Golak Mohapatra stated that Sonepur was specifically chosen as the venue to challenge BJD, as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be contesting from the Kantabanji assembly segment within the Bolangir parliamentary constituency. This marks the beginning of an intense battle between the two major parties in Odisha, making this event a crucial one for both the BJP and BJD.

Hindusthan Samachar/ Indrani Sarkar