Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), April 30: On Tuesday, Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha and president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), submitted his nomination papers for the Hinjili Assembly constituency in Ganjam district, as he vies for re-election for an unprecedented sixth term.
Sources report that Naveen arrived at a temporary helipad at Narasinghpur Chhak around 11:05 am, where he was greeted by a large number of supporters. From there, he proceeded in a grand procession to the Tara Tarini temple, a revered site in Ganjam near Purushottampur. Following prayers at the shrine, which has undergone transformation under the 5T initiative, Naveen, accompanied by 5T Chairman VK Pandian, senior party leaders, and supporters, made his way to the sub-collector office to formally submit his nomination papers.
Hinjili, situated within the Aska parliamentary seat, is scheduled to go to polls on May 20. Naveen had initiated his party’s campaign for the upcoming elections from Hinjili and Sheragada on April 24.
In addition to Hinjli, the Chief Minister will also contest from Kantabanji in Balangir district.
Naveen’s political stronghold in Hinjli is evident from his impressive electoral performance over the years. Since his first victory in 2000, his winning margin has steadily increased, with his vote share consistently remaining above 65%. In 2019, he secured the seat with a margin of 60,160 votes. Moreover, Hinjli serves as a crucial constituency for the BJD’s MP candidate from Aska, providing the maximum lead among the seven Assembly segments.
In the 2019 elections, the BJD emerged victorious in 12 seats, with the Congress securing one seat in Ganjam district.
