Kendrapada, March 10: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in an election rally in Kendrapara on Sunday announced 33% quota for women in an allocation of Lok Sabha seats for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party. Speaking to reporters, Patnaik said, “I am delighted to be in Kendrapara today. Here, I have announced a 33 percent reservation for women in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.” Assembly elections will also be held in Odisha along with the parliamentary polls. The term of the Odisha Assembly will expire on June 11. BJD Stalwart Baijayant Panda Joins BJP, Days Ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

BJD President Naveen Patnaik addressing media:

Meanwhile, the Election Commission will announce the days for the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 at 5 pm today. Along with the schedule of the general elections, the EC will also announce the dates for assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim. The term of the 16th Lok Sabha will end on June 3, while Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh assemblies will end on June 18. Similarly, the term Sikkim assembly will expire on May 27. Once the poll dates are announced, the Model Code of Conduct will come into force.

When the opposition is trying to put up a united fight against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the centre, the BJD president refused to be a part of Mahagathabandhan, a grand alliance of opposition parties. He also said that the party would continue to remain equidistant from both the BJP and the Congress.

Meanwhile, days ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Former BJP Member of Parliament from Kendrapara – Baijayant Panda – joined the BJP on March 4. He joined BJP in the presence of party president Amit Shah and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Delhi. Currently, the BJD has 18 seats in the Lok Sabha, while in the 147-seat Odisha assembly, the party has a massive majority of 117 seats.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2019 01:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).