The political battleground in Nuapada intensified as BJD supremo and Opposition Leader Naveen Patnaik launched a scathing attack on the BJP during a campaign rally.
Accusing the saffron party of betraying public trust and engaging in candidate poaching, Patnaik urged voters to retaliate through the ballot box.
Patnaik alleged that the BJP had failed to honour its election manifesto and labelled the party as “unfaithful,” claiming it had wronged both him and the people of Odisha. “They stole our candidate. They betrayed me and you. Nuapada must respond,” he declared.
In a fiery counter, BJP leader and Minister of Fisheries and Animal Resources Gokulananda Mallik dismissed Patnaik’s accusations, saying, “Naveen is biting like a tatiya ant due to lack of medicine.” He further branded the BJD as a “lying cook party” and defended the party’s decision to replace Raju Dholakia with Jay Dholakia, citing health concerns.
The war of words escalated as Patnaik mocked the BJP’s shifting political stance, calling it a “rule changer, not a game changer,” and accused the party of changing colours to suit its convenience.
With both parties sharpening their rhetoric, the Nuapada bypoll is shaping up to be a high-voltage contest that could influence the political narrative in Odisha.
