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Senior BJD leader VK Pandian issued a challenge to the BJP on Saturday, urging the party to announce its chief ministerial candidate for Odisha. Pandian asserted that if any of the current state leaders were named by the BJP, the party would receive less than 10 percent of the votes.

Speaking during his campaign in the Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat, Pandian criticised the BJP's aspirations of forming a government in Odisha, labelling them as "daydreaming" since 2014.

He expressed disdain for what he called "election tourists," who only surface during election seasons and then disappear for the rest of the term.

"The BJP has a long-standing habit of daydreaming about governing Odisha, as stated by Naveen Patnaik. This habit has persisted since 2014," Pandian remarked.

He further challenged the BJP, claiming that the party's inability to declare its CM candidate stemmed from the fear of a significant drop in vote share.

"I challenge the BJP to declare its CM candidate. PM Modi claims that the BJP's CM will be sworn in on June 10, but the people of Odisha deserve to know who that candidate is. The BJP refrains from announcing its CM candidate because they know it would result in less than 10 percent of the votes if any of their current leaders were chosen," Pandian asserted.

In response to Pandian's earlier statement positioning himself as the natural successor to the values of CM Patnaik, Modi, in an indirect reference, invited the public to the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP's Chief Minister in Bhubaneswar on June 10. Modi emphasised the importance of selecting a leader who understands the state's culture, language, and tradition.

Pandian criticised the BJP's claims of making Odisha the top state in the country, questioning Gujarat's status as a model state. "Malnutrition among children in Gujarat is 40 percent. Anaemia among children in Gujarat is 79 percent. The per capita debt burden of Gujarat is close to Rs 60,000," he alleged.

Asserting CM Patnaik's commitment to fulfilling promises, Pandian declared that the BJD manifesto would be transformed into a policy document after the elections.

Odisha is set to vote for its 21 Lok Sabha seats and the 147-member assembly in four phases, commencing on May 13th.