Bhubaneswar, April 19 -- Bhubaneswar: In a major announcement in the backdrop of the surging Covid-19 graph in the State, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik on Monday said the party will not hold any rallies or campaign meetings in the run up to the by-poll for the Pipli assembly constituency on May 13.

Taking to Twitter, Patnaik, who is also the Chief Minister of Odisha, said, "Every life is precious and I always consider people of Odisha as my family members. In this extremely serious COVID19 situation amidst surge in cases in the country, the BJD has decided not to hold any public rallies or campaign meetings in Pipili bypoll."

BJD as a responsible party will not like to put the lives of people in danger. We contest ele...