Prez polls: Pranab greeted by tribal artistes in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: UPA’s Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee was accorded a rousing welcome on his arrival here to campaign in Odisha today as tribal artistes treated him to traditional dance and music. As Congress roped in tribals in colourful attire to welcome the senior leader at the party headquarter here, cultural troupes from across the state presented a variety of shows to enthrall the visitor. [caption id=“attachment_374922” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Pranab Mukherjee was greeted with tribal music in Odisha.[/caption] Clad in traditional outfits, tribal groups from different parts of the state including Koraput, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts danced to the beat of drums as Mukherjee visited the Congress Bhawan to interact with party leaders and others during his brief visit here. Traditional tribal music rent the air as the artistes played their traditional instruments keeping the visitors spellbound. Mukherjee was given a warm welcome by party leaders who presented him with several exquisite art objects and articles showcasing the unique craftsmanship of Odisha. The gifts included items like attractive silver filigree show piece and elegantly woven shwal. Mukherjee met the Congress MLAs in Odisha, senior party leaders including Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Niranjan Patnaik, leader of opposition in state assembly Bhupinder Singh and Union Minister Srikant Jena. He interacted with the party leaders and discussed issues relating to presidential poll. PTI