Bhubaneswar: Deserving and capable individuals would be given ministerial post at an appropriate time, senior BJP leader Pratap after party national president Nitin Nabin on Monday chaired a meeting of the party’s core committee in Odisha.
This holds significance amid speculation of a possible expansion of the state Cabinet as the BJP government in Odisha celebrates its 2 years in office on June 12. Currently, the ministry has 16 members against a maximum permissible strength of 22. With six posts vacant and several ministers handling multiple departments, concerns have been raised about the impact on administrative efficiency.
While the last two years saw some government appointments and internal organisational restructuring, the ministry expansion was put on the back burner. The buzz, however, grew louder amid the two-day visit by BJP national president with party sources also indicting that the core committee meeting discussed strategies for next year’s panchayat elections, a potential expansion of the state council of ministers, and appointments to various boards and corporations.
Speaking to reporters, Sarangi said: “The meeting was inspirational and focused on strengthening the party organisation in Odisha. The focus was on strengthening coordination between the party and the government in the state. The party leaders were told to apprise people about achievements of different state schemes, including Subhadra Yojana, CM Kisan Yojana, Ayushman Bharat. The national president stressed taking the organisation to the grassroots, addressing public grievances, and preparing robust strategies for the upcoming panchayat polls.”
He further noted that training programmes are underway for party workers under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Prashikshan Mahabhiyan, with a strong focus on ideology, discipline, and commitment at the grassroots level. “Its framework is rooted in the ‘Nation First, Party Next, Self Last’ ideology,” he added
The meeting was attended by senior leaders including Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, Deputy Chief Ministers K V Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, state BJP president Manmohan Samal, national vice-president Baijayant Panda, and others
