BJD Supremo Naveen Patnaik Unlikely To Attend Party Meet In Bhubaneswar Today

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik, who is in Bengaluru on a 3-day visit, is unlikely to attend the two-day meeting of party leaders and heads of all frontal organisations to discuss the future roadmap and deliberate on the annual month-long Jan Sampark padayatra, beginning Thursday.

The BJD supremo is scheduled to return to Bhubaneswar this evening and is likely to address partymen via video conference, coinciding with a major public meeting of at least 30,000 Shakti Kendra (booth level organisation) workers being organised by the BJP at Janata Maidan where party national president JP Nadda is expected the kick off the party’s campaign for 2024.

Since Union home minister Amit Shah’s August visit, the saffron party has been trying to keep its cadres enthused with a flurry of visits by more than a dozen union ministers. Early this month, the BJP conducted a three-day training camp for all its MLAs, MPs as well as district officer bearers at Puri town, which was attended by Odisha in-charge Sunil Bansal and national general secretary (Organisation) B L Santosh.

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On the other hand, the regional party has already started organisational restructuring with Naveen appointing senior observers and revamping the youth, student and women wings.

Coincidentally, Congress is also likely to draw plans for the Bharat Jodo Yatra to commence in Odisha from the Indira Gandhi Park in Bhubaneswar from October 31 for a period of 100 days. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Patttanyak is expected to spell out the routes of the party’s localised campaign on Thursday.

These political activities are significant considering that the three major political parties in the state are making efforts to strengthen the party apparatus with an eye on the 2024 elections.