Bhubaneswar/Berhampur, Oct. 16: Chief minister and ruling BJD chief Naveen Patnaik is planning to organise a major show of strength on his home turf after being faced with twin challenges from the Opposition Congress and his friend-turned-foe, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra.

The BJD is holding a rally at Berhampur on October 19 which will be addressed by Naveen and attended by all the ministers, MPs and MLAs from undivided Ganjam districts, which happen to be the home turf of Naveen and a major BJD stronghold. The ruling party has won both the Lok Sabha seats and 12 of the 15 Assembly seats in the two districts (Ganjam and Gajapati).

The proposed rally comes in the wake of the “Parivartan Samavesh” of Congress on September 15 and the proposed “Jana Samparka Samavesh” being organised by the Odisha Jan Morcha, founded by suspended BJD leader Pyari Mohan Mohapatra.

Incidentally, Mohapatra had announced he would a news meet on October 19 to reveal his party’s objectives and future plans. Morcha leaders said the BJD was holding the rally on the same day to divert public opinion and wean away the grassroots workers. “They could have held the rally on any other day,” said the Morcha’s chief spokesperson, Jagneswar Baboo.

BJD leaders say that their party’s rally has nothing to do with the Morcha’s programme.

“This has no relevance with the so-called news meet of Rajya Sabha member Mohapatra. Every day, a number of news conferences are organised by various political parties,” said health minister and BJD vice president Damodar Rout.

Preparations are on in full swing to make the BJD rally a success. The rally will be attended by more than 50,000 party workers, said BJD Ganjam district unit president Subash Maharana. “The rally would send the message of the success stories of the 12-years rule of the Naveen Patnaik government to every corner of the district,” said revenue minister and party vice-president Surya Narayan Patro.

Earlier, Khallikote College Stadium had been selected as the rally venue. But it was changed to MKCG Medical College Ground keeping availability of parking space and the ongoing student union elections at Khallikote College in mind, said the organisers.

Berhampur police chief Prateek Mahanty, who inspected the rally site today, said: “We will conduct a security survey and make traffic and law and order arrangements.”

Officials of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation started levelling of the MKCG Medical College Ground today.