BJD sets ‘Mission-123′ against BJP’s ‘Mission-120’ in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Making light of Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJPs) ‘Mission 120’ in Odisha, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Vice President and Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Surjya Narayan Patro today said his party will clinch at least 123 seats in the 2019 Assembly Elections.

The statement assumes significance as BJP National president Amit Shah, who had set Mission-120 during his visit to the State in July, is arriving here on a three-day visit beginning this Wednesday.

Patro, a BJD veteran, said his party is eyeing to win all 147 seats in the upcoming polls. “Though our party is targeting to win all the 147 seats but as per my assessment we are damn confident of winning 123 seats,” Patro exuded.

He also said we had won 123 seats under the leadership of Biju Patnaik (former Odisha Chief Minister and father of Naveen Patnaik) in 1990 and are confident of repeating the same in 2019.

Patro’s claim evoked sharp reactions from State unit of BJP which seems to be on a high post Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s elevation to Cabinet rank yesterday.

“Party President Amit Shah never goes wrong in his calculation and we are confident of achieving our Mission-120,” said State BJP Spokesperson Golak Mohapatra.

Notably, Shah will arrive here at around 1 pm on Wednesday and attend the ‘Sankalpa Siddhi’ meeting Friday during his three-day visit to the state.

Meanwhile, Congress too joined this ‘Mission War’. “We are confident of winning 85 seats in the 2019 Assembly elections,” said senior Congress leader and former minister Suresh Routray.