Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw unequivocally dispelled rumors on Sunday, confirming that he will not be a contender in the Lok Sabha elections for Odisha's Balasore seat. Amid speculation that the BJP might nominate Rajya Sabha MP Vaishnaw for the Balasore constituency, he dismissed such notions, stating, "I will not contest from Balasore. We have Pratap 'Nana' here," in reference to sitting BJP MP Pratap Sarangi, as quoted by PTI.
The conjecture gained momentum due to Vaishnaw's extensive visits to various locations in Balasore. During a recent visit, he emphasized using 'Baleswar' instead of 'Balasore' in signages, respecting the local Odia nomenclature.
Last week, Vaishnaw visited Cuttack district and did not rule out the possibility that the BJP may field him from the Cuttack seat in the Lok Sabha polls. "I am a disciplined worker of the party and I perform whatever task the party assigns to me. Recently, the party asked me to work in the Madhya Pradesh elections which I did,” he said on Sunday.