Bhubaneswar, Jan 24: On Sunday after much addition and subtraction, the State Congress came out with its final list of star campaigners for the upcoming Panchayat elections. The list had names of two common men, a singer and brother of late Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra (Lulu) apart from other Congress leaders. The party has brought Lulu’s brother Lalitendu, a first timer, along with anti liquor leader of Kandhamal Keshamati Pradhan and Rahul Nayak of Tumudibandha who lost his parents in police firing, to the campaigning battle while five party MLA including Yogesh Singh and Krushna chandra Sagaria did not find a place in the list. Singer Narendra Kumar will also be seen campaigning for the Congress. But, the grand old party has excluded the name of veteran cine stars Bijay Mohanty and Aparajita Mohanty, who had unsuccessfully contested for Lok Sabha seats on Congress ticket in last general election. Among others, Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra, Opposition chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati, MLA Naba Das, veteran leader Hemananda Biswal, former union minister Kanhu Lenka and KP Singhdeo and Congress in-charge of Odisha and his deputy Subhankar Sarkar are chosen as the eminent campaigners for the party.
The principal Opposition party in the State had prepared a list of 60 including the names of more common people. But, the number was later reduced to 40 after Election Commission disapproved the big list. The party has planned to woo voters by the method of door to door meeting and in a complete rural style. The entire State has been divided into seven zones and one popular leader will be in charge of each zone.
