Bhubaneswar, Jan 27 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will address the 'Odisha Bachho Samabesh' (Save Odisha Conference) here on January 29, OPCC chief Sarat Pattnayak said on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference here, Pattnayak said that the party's state committee has been making all-out efforts to make Kharge's maiden visit to the state as Congress president a "grand success".

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He said a massive rally will be held at the Lower PMG Square in Bhubaneswar. Kharge's visit is expected to give an impetus to party workers and leadership before carrying out a full-fledged election campaign in the state, Pattnayak said.

Stating that the AICC has been giving top priority to Odisha, Pattnayak claimed the political situation in the state is "favourable" for the Congress as both the ruling BJD and opposition Congress have "joined hands" to "mislead" the people here.

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As both the parties are "hand in gloves with each other", the Congress is the lone opposition party before the people of Odisha, he claimed.

"Kharge ji is coming to show the way on how to defeat both the BJD and BJP and change the political landscape in Odisha. He will reach here on January 29 to address the Odisha Bachao Samavesh", Pattanayak said.

Apart from addressing the rally, Kharge will also will meet senior party leaders. The Congress president will also meet leaders of other parties in the INDIA bloc.

Pattnayak said Kharge would hold discussions with state party leaders about the routes of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra of Rahul Gandhi in the state and review its preparation.

(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)