The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has directed its Odisha unit to increase outreach on the ground and ensure the gains made in the 2024 polls are not squandered ahead of the panchayat polls that are due next year.
In 2024, the BJP won 78 of the 147 seats in the state assembly and formed the government in Odisha for the first time, removing the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) from power after 24 years.
The BJP leadership noted that Odisha leaders were avoiding travel, typically undertaken to connect with the masses. It asked them to expand the party’s footprint and urged the cadre to ensure that the Special Intensive Review (SIR) does not snowball into a political controversy in the state.
The BJP wants its cadre to organise help desks for people, given the concerns over SIR and its potential to turn into a political controversy, as it did in West Bengal, which sparked concerns over mass disenfranchisement.
BJD Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra has written to the Election Commission of India, raising the issue of approximately 900,000 names identified for deletion during the pre-SIR exercise.
Nitin Nabin, BJP chief, held meetings with the state leaders and underscored the importance of travelling and spending time, particularly in the rural areas.
He reviewed the cadre’s preparedness for the panchayat polls and asked the state leaders to amplify the state and central schemes that directly impact the electorate.
The BJD has stepped up its attacks on the government, with Patnaik leading the charge, slamming the government for failing to maintain law and order following the May 18 attack on a couple in Berhampur.
