BJP keen to accomplish its ‘Mission Odisha’ this time

Apart from aiming to add to its 2019 tally of 8 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which in the past squandered many opportunities to form a government in Odisha on its strength, seems to be quite keen this time to capture power in the state, bringing an end to the 24year rule of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

The party has lined up a battery of top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, party president J.P. Nadda, defence minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, to campaign in the state.

Mr Shah, who addressed a massive public rally in Sonepur in Western Odisha on Thursday, is likely to visit the state again early next month.

Senior BJP leader Samir Mohanty on Friday said that Mr Nadda will visit Odisha on Sunday and address a public rally at Berhampur in Ganjam district to add more firepower to the campaign.

After the event in Berhampur, the BJP chief will attend a meeting of party leaders in Nabarangpur, Mr Mohanty said.

Both Berhampur and Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seats are poised for an interesting fight in the upcoming polls. The BJP has nominated Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahi, an ex-BJD leader, for the Berhampur constituency, while the BJD has fielded former BJP leader Bhrugu Baxipatra.

In Nabarangpur, the BJD has nominated Pradeep Majhi, who had won the 2009 polls from the constituency on a Congress ticket. Similarly, the BJP had fielded Balabhadra Majhi, who had defeated Pradeep Majhi in the constituency in the 2014 elections as a BJD nominee.

Sources said that the BJP is in the process of negotiating with the PM’s office for suitable dates for his campaigning in Odisha.

◗ THE BJP has lined up PM Modi, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, to campaign in the state