Lashing out at ruling Biju Janata Dal led by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a double double-engine government is going to be formed for the first time in non-BJP ruled state.
Seeking votes for the BJP candidate Sambit Patra for Puri Lok Sabha seat, "Ghar-ghar se ek hi awaaj aa rahi hai - Odisha me pehali baar double engine ki sarkar' (A voice is coming from every house that for the first time, there is going to be a double-engine government in Odisha...) Today the entire Odisha is thinking that they have given 25 years to the BJD govt but what they have got in these years?..."
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PM Modi added," Today, polling is underway for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections. Voters are turning up at polling booths in large numbers to cast their votes. I appeal to voters and especially first-time voters to exercise their franchise".
PM Narendra Modi at Public Gathering in Odisha
PM Modi was speaking at a public meeting in Odisha's Dhenkanal. Appealing to people to come out and exercise their franchise, PM Modi added, "Those who doubt whether I should go out and vote amid the (scorching) heat.. In this gathering, I am looking at a wheel-chaired youth. What could be a bigger inspiration than this".
"'Mai Gujarat se aaya hun, mai Somnath ki dharti se aaya hun, mai Jagannath ki dharti ko pranam karne aaya hun' (I have come from Gujarat, from the land of Somnath to pay respect to the land of Jagannath)...," PM Modi added.Earlier in the day, PM Modi held a road show in the holy city. He was accompanied by Sambit Patra. The Prime Minister is on a day-long visit to Odisha and West Bengal on Monday.
He is slated to hold another public meeting in Odisha's Cuttack and Tamluk and Jhargram in West Bengal later in the day.Voting for the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Monday morning across 49 parliamentary constituencies spread over six states and two Union Territories (UTs) amid tight security and arrangements.
The Lok Sabha elections are being held across seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. The counting is scheduled for June 4.The Narendra Modi-led BJP is seeking a third term in power, while the opposition INDIA bloc is aiming to wrest power by stopping the juggernaut.