Bhubaneswar: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed optimism that BJP will be elected to power in 2024 Assembly elections in Odisha.
Speaking at a welcome function at party office in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, Biswa Sarma said the BJP had secured 38% of votes in Lok Sabha elections and 32% in Assembly polls in 2019. The difference in vote share between BJP and BJD was just 4%.
He further said the Naveen brand is just a campaign, he questioned how 38% of voters supported the BJP. “The so-called brand is a negative brand. When one crore people are not accepting the brand, it will not be difficult to garner 30 to 50 lakh more voters to bring the BJP to power,” he added.
“With several development projects sanctioned by the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and blessings of Lord Jagannath, the BJP will make up the shortfall in 2024 and wrest the power from BJD,” he said.
Stating that BJP is a cadre-based party, the Assam CM said all the leaders will contest the coming General Elections unitedly to ensure the party’s victory.
Coming down on Congress, Biswa Sarma said the party, which has wronged Lord Ram by opposing the temple at Ayodhya, will not able to get support from the people of the country. On Rahul Gandhi’s Nyaya Yatra, he said it is Bharat Todo Yatra.
BJP’s state president Manmohan Samal, vice-president Golak Mohapatra, national vice-president Baijayant Panda and Rajya Sabha member Pabitra Margerita were among others present at the meeting.