Bhubaneswar, Sept 20 (PTI) As campaign for the September 30 by-polls in Pipili Assembly segment, midway between the state capital and the temple town of Puri, officially kicked off Monday, all eyes are on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the president of the ruling BJD.

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Patnaik's name figures as the regional party's star campaigner. However, party officials are as yet unsure of the chief minister's campaign program in support of the BJD candidate.

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“We are not sure whether the president will physically visit Pipili. Earlier, Patnaik had campaigned for the party candidate Rudrapratap Maharathy on virtual mode for the April 17 by-poll, which was later countermanded due to death of then Congress candidate Ajit Mangaraj,” said a senior vice-president of BJD.

He pointed out that Patnaik mostly works from his residence since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He did not attend two previous sessions of the Assembly physically.

However, Patnaik was seen at Kalinga Stadium welcoming the Indian Hockey players after their return from Tokyo Olympics.

The Chief Minister, has however undertaken visits outside the state capital recently after significant improvement in the corona situation across Odisha. Among other places he has visited Kalahandi, Sundergarh, Malkangiri, Puri and Cuttack. He is scheduled to visit Bolangir on Wednesday.

"We cannot rule out the possibility of BJD president making a road show in Pipili using his campaign bus ... This decision may be taken keeping in view the ground situation in Pipili,” a senior leader said.

Since three Union Ministers - Dharmendra Pradhan, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bisweswar Tudu along with the BJP's Kissan Morcha national president Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, are scheduled to campaign in Pipili, the BJD may think of using its trump card, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the senior leader said.

Patnaik had not physically campaigned in the two previous by-polls held in November last year in Balasore and Tirtol. The by-poll in Pipili is held following death of BJD's sitting MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October 2020 last year.

Pipili is traditionally a stronghold of BJD from where Pradeep Maharathy was elected to the Assembly five times in a row since 2000.

However, BJP candidate Asjrit Pattnaik is also seen as a strong contender in the fray. Pattnaik had lost the 2019 general elections by 9,787 votes to BJD's Pradeep Maharathy.

Though there are 10 candidates in the fray for the Pipili by-poll, BJD's Rudrapratap Maharathy, BJP's Ashrit Pattnaik and Congress's Bishwokeshan Harichandan are ahead of others in campaigning being conducted adhering to COVID-19 protocol.

Coinciding with the beginning of the campaign in Pipili for by-poll, DGP Abhay Monday reviewed the poll preparedness with Director Intelligence, Additional DG of Police (Law & Order), IG of Police, Central Range, Cuttack, IG of Police (Law & Order) –cum- Nodal Officer and SP, Puri District through a video conference. PTI AAM

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)