Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday sought the blessings of the people while urging them not to vote for thieves.

With only four days left for the first phase of polling in the state, campaigning has intensified with leaders accusing each other. So far, BJP leaders have refrained from making any personal attacks on Naveen but have started targeting V.K. Pandian, his Man Friday.

Addressing a series of meetings in southern Odisha, including Ganjam and Kandhamal ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to Kandhamal on Saturday, Naveen asked the people to bless him and vote for the conch symbol of his party.

Before seeking their blessings, Naveen asked the people to rate his welfare schemes and say whether they were good or not. “Whether Naveen Patnaik is good?” he asked the people in the meeting. The people responded with “yes Naveen is good” and cheered him on.

He further said: “You bless me, cast votes in conch symbol, bless the MP and MLA candidates of the Biju Janata Dal, bless the honest candidates, but don’t bless the crooks.”

Sources said Naveen was hinting at BJP’s Berhampur Lok Sabha candidate Pradeep Panigrahi, who had earlier gone to jail in connection with an alleged job scam. However, Panigrahi got bail later. There are a few other candidates against whom cases are pending.

The chief minister accused the Opposition of shedding crocodile tears for Odisha.

On the other hand, the BJP has lined up its senior leaders, including Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai to visit the state.

Addressing a rally at Malkangiri, Assam chief minister Sharma targeted Pandian.