Rourkela (Odisha): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday claimed that Odisha would turn saffron after the elections, since the BJP would win over 75 assembly and 15 Lok Sabha seats. He asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already won 270 Lok Sabha seats in the first four phases of elections and is now moving towards 400.

Lok Sabha and assembly elections are held simultaneously in Odisha. "With more than 15 MPs and 75 MLAs, Odisha is about to be coloured saffron. This election is the election to make Narendra Modi the PM for the third time," Shah said while addressing a rally at Rourkela. The state has 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats.

Referring to the missing keys of the Puri Jagannath Temple 'Ratna Bhandar' (treasure chest), the BJP leader alleged that Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik is misleading people and playing with their faith. The missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar have been a major political issue in Odisha for the past few years.

Shah said this election is to restore Odisha's pride, language, culture and tradition. He also claimed that the Odisha government is run by officers.