BJP national president Amit Shah has reached Bhubaneswar on Wednesday on a three-day visit to Odisha. One of the main purposes of Shah's visit is to make the party workers battle ready for the 2019 assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The party chief will address one lakh BJP office bearers on Friday at Janta Maidan in the capital city where party’s national executive was held in last April. Shah is accompanied by Union minister Prakash Javadekar.
This is Shah’s fifth visit to the state after becoming the party chief. He was in the state in July and visited three districts, including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s home turf Ganjam, in connection with the booth contact programme. During the visit, Shah had expressed confidence that the BJP will get 120 out of 147 seats in state assembly polls due in early 2019.
During the three-day visit—named 'vistrit pravas' (prolonged stay)—Shah will focus mainly on interaction with party workers. He will meet party office bearers, leaders of frontal wings, MLAs, ex-MLAs, MPs and ex-MPs and district leaders. The party chief will also meet with intellectuals and eminent citizens in the state.
Dharmendra Pradhan, who has just been promoted to the rank of Union cabinet minister, compared Shah’s visit to an army general visiting his troops. Pradhan, who is being considered as the party's chief ministerial candidate, said Shah's meeting with the party workers is important for the BJP's 'mission 120' programme.
Pradhan's elevation from Union minister of state (independent) to cabinet minister in the recent reshuffle and granting him the additional department of skill development besides his petroleum and natural gas ministry has emboldened the state BJP. The promotion of Pradhan has also indicated that the saffron party is serious about 'mission 120' in the state.
During his address of party workers, Shah is expected to exhort them to reach every nook and corner of the state and prepare for the election. According to party sources, the one lakh party office bearers, who will attend the address by the party chief, will be told to get 100 votes each to ensure that party secures one crore votes, making it possible for the party to reach the target of 120 seats.
After breaking alliance with the BJD, the vote share of BJP was 26.74 lakh in 2009 general election which came down to 12 lakh in 2014. However, in the last panchayat election, the party managed to win 55 lakh votes. The office bearers will be asked to focus on the anti-incumbency, weakness of the Congress and the good work being done by the Narendra Modi government.
The saffron party was in cheerful spirits after the good performance in February’s rural body elections as the BJP pushed Congress to a poor third position besides reducing the dominance of the BJD. The next challenge the party faces is the urban body polls due in the later part of 2018. Since there are speculations that the general election may be advanced and may take place by 2018, both the BJP and the BJD are trying hard to work on their organisational strength.
Commenting on Shah's visit to the state, BJD spokesperson Rabi Narayan Nanda said such “high drama” will not work in the state, adding that people of Odisha have been with Patnaik and will continue to stay with him. BJD president and CM Naveen Patnaik too is confident that the saffron party won't be able to achieve its 120 target.
While the BJP and the BJD have an active organisational front, the Congress is trying to bring in changes in the PCC with a new PCC chief taking over. The internal bickering in the Congress is the reason for the party's downward slide.
BJD’s senior ministers Surya Narayan Patra and Bijoyshree Routray said the party is confident that its strength will increase from 117 to 123 after the assembly elections. However, BJD spokesperson Prashanta Nanda said Patra and Routray have expressed their personal views, adding that the party is working to win all 147 seats.
Not to be left behind, the Congress, notwithstanding its numerous problems, said it hopes to win at least 85 seats. Senior party leader Suresh Kumar Routray, who is the father-in-law of PCC president Prasad Harichandan said the party will return to power in the state, winning 85 seats. The Congress was in power in the state till 2000 in the state.
