Berhampur: Bharatiya Bikash Parishad (BBP), an outfit based in Odisha’s Berhampur, plans to field candidates in more than 100 Assembly constituencies in the next elections in the state.
Spearheading a movement against corruption, crime against women, liquor and other social evils since 2018, the BBP has also decided to contest all the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha.
BBP has already been recognised as a political party by the Election Commission India (ECI) and BBP would contest the election for the first time, its president Surendra Panigrahi told reporters on Thursday.
“We have requested the ECI to provide us ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ (a divine discus attributed to Lord Vishnu) as our symbol,” he said. As ‘Sankha’ has been allotted to BJD and ‘Lotus’ or Padma flower to BJP (the two portrayed by Vishnu on different hands), ours is a genuine demand, he said.
To begin with, the party organised a ‘Misrana Parva’ on Wednesday and a large number of leaders and workers from BJD, BJP, Congress, CPI and CPM joined BBP, said Panigrahi.
P Tulasaya Reddy, former president Shiv Sena Odisha has been appointed as working president and Geetanjali Sahu, who resigned as the secretary district Congress Committee of Ganjam, has been made the president of women’s wing of BBP Ganjam unit.
BBP has promised health insurance of Rs 10 lakh to every family, unemployed allowance of Rs 7000, free 200 units of electricity to the consumers, appointment of 80 percent local youths in all the government and private enterprises, MSP of Rs 3500 of paddy per quintal, new regulations for the liquor, sand and mines mafia and many others if comes to power.
“We are preparing for the election well in advance. The party wants to script a new electoral strategy in the state where the BJD has been in power since 2000,” he said.
