"Wave of change is visible in Odisha": Dharmendra Pradhan exudes confidence in BJP's victory in LS, Assembly elections

Puri (Odisha) [India], March 25 : Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said that the wave of change is visible in Odisha and this time the Bharatiya Janata Party will form government in the eastern Indian state.
Earlier today, Dharmendra Pradhan offered prayers at Shree Jagannath Temple, in Puri.
"It's my fortune that I prayed here today. People's faith in PM Modi's guarantee is increasing day by day. The wave of change is visible in Odisha. I prayed and, surely, this time a double-engine government in Odisha is inevitable," he said.
Notably, Dharmendra Pradhan will contest from Sambalpur constituency in the Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party called off its alliance with Biju Janta Dal (BJD) in Odisha ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the party's state president Manmohan Samal said on Friday.
BJP will fight all 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha alone.
The Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, which comprise 21 constituencies, are set to take place in four phases. The voting dates have been scheduled for May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) emerged as the dominant party, securing 20 out of the 21 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a single seat.
However, the 2019 elections saw a shift in the political landscape. The BJD's seat count was reduced to 12, while the BJP made significant gains, winning 8 seats. This change marked a notable increase in the BJP's presence in the state. The Indian National Congress (INC) also managed to secure a seat in the 2019 elections.