Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for the Odisha assembly elections from Hinjili constituency in Ganjam district where he will be seeking re-election for a sixth term.
Hinjili comes under the Aska Lok Sabha seat and will go to polls on May 20. (Naveen Patnaik | Official X account)
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
Patnaik was accompanied by his trusted aide VK Pandian where he submitted his nomination papers at the sub-collector’s office.
Patnaik had won the Hinjli seat for the first time in 2000 by a margin of 29,826 votes. In 2004, his winning margin increased to 42,642 and in the 2009 and 2014 elections, it went up to 61,773 and 76,586, respectively.
In 2019, he won the seat by a margin of 60,160 votes.
Hinjili, which falls under Aska parliamentary seat, will go to polls on May 20 along with Aska Lok Sabha constituency.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
{{^usCountry}}
Patnaik is scheduled to address public rallies in Khallikote, Kabisuryanagar, Digapahandi and Chhatrapur on May 1.
{{/usCountry}}
{{#usCountry}}
Patnaik is scheduled to address public rallies in Khallikote, Kabisuryanagar, Digapahandi and Chhatrapur on May 1.
{{/usCountry}}
On May 3, he will visit Bhanjnagar, Polasara, Sankhemundi and Sorda and address election rallies there.
Patnaik will also contest from Kantabannji in Bolangir district which goes to polls on May 20.
Spread over 21 panchayats, Hinjili is a semi-urban settlement that has seen noticeable growth ever since Patnaik started representing the seat.
The constituency has proper access to irrigation making it the centre of vegetable hub in Ganjam. However, lack of suitable employment has meant lakhs of youths from Hinjili migrating to the textile city of Surat and in Gujarat and Mumbai for livelihood.
While launching his election campaign in Hinjili last week, Patnaik said BJD would win both Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
“The next 10 years will be known as the decade of Odisha which will draw attention of whole world for programme implementation. Odisha will complete 100 years of being independent State in 2036 by the it will emerge as number one State in the country. Peace, prosperity and empowerment will be our identity,” he said while outlining a 10-year development plan.
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.
