Bhubaneswar, Jan 25 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Odisha for a day in February, state BJP president Manmohan Samal said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, Samal said the PM's visit has been finalised and he will come here on February 3.

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"Apart from his official programmes, PM Modi will address a BJP rally in Sambalpur," he said.

During the likely visit, the prime minister will inaugurate the permanent campus of IIM-Sambalpur, built over 200 acre in Basantapur at a cost of Rs 400 crore, officials said.

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Sambalpur is the main city in Odisha's western region, which is considered a bastion of the BJP. Of the eight BJP MPs from Odisha, five were elected from this region.

Speculations are rife that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a Rajya Sabha MP, may contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Sambalpur seat this time. The constituency is at present represented by BJP's Nitesh Gang Deb.

(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)