Bhubaneswar: Campaigning for the high-stake Bijepur Assembly bypoll drew to an end on Thursday amidst an escalating war of words between the BJD and the BJP, both jousting to snatch the seat from the Congress.

The last day of the campaign for the February 24 bypoll was marked by unprecedented acrimony and bitterness with top leaders of the BJP and the BJD trading charges. Union minister for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan even accused a state minister of unleashing a reign of terror in west Odisha constituency.

He also pointed fingers at some senior bureaucrats, including chief minister's private secretary V.K. Pandian, alleging that they had sent around 100 government officials to Bijepur to tilt the scales in BJD's favour.

Pradhan attacked minister of state for labour Sushant Singh describing him as one with a criminal background.

Reacting to the Union minister's diatribe, BJD leader Prasanna Acharya slammed Pradhan for accusing a minister of having criminal antecedents without any proof.

He also referred to past allegations of Pradhan's alleged links with gangster Dhal Samanta brothers, the charge having surfaced two years ago when the Union minister had shared the dais with Sushil Dhal Samanta in Cuttack.

Even as Padampur SDPO Laxmi Narayan Panda was transferred on Thursday following BJP's charge that he was foisting false cases against its workers, the BJD accused Pradhan of shutting down a petrol pump in Bijepur out of political vendetta.

Acharya said Pradhan had visited the filling station owned by a Congressman-turned-BJD acolyte three days ago. Acharya said: "When he was told that the owner was away, he threatened to close down the petrol pump. Next day it was shut down. Is that not a violation of poll code?"