Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP leader Manmohan Samal is set to continue as the president of the party’s Odisha unit as he was the only aspirant to have filed nomination for election to the top post on Monday.
Sources said Samal filed the nomination papers at BJP state party office before election officer Pratap Chandra Sarangi in the presence of top leaders. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, central observer Sanjay Jaiswal and several senior leaders were present.
A veteran in Odisha’s political landscape, Samal is now poised to retain the top state post unopposed since no other leader has filed nomination for the post during the stipulated time frame meant for the process, reflecting the strong backing he enjoys within the party.
Party sources suggest that Samal, a former Minister, should be formally declared elected without contest unless any objection is made.
His tenure has been marked by strategic expansion and consolidation of the BJP’s footprint in the state, earning him broad support across party cadres.
Samal’s prospective return to the post is seen as a continuation of experienced leadership at a time when the Odisha BJP is gearing up for critical organisational and electoral challenges. His unopposed nomination is being interpreted as a sign of strategic consensus and cohesion within the party ranks.
This will be Samal’s third term as the Odisha BJP president. He previously held the post from 1999 to 2004, and was appointed again in March 2023.
The veteran leader is widely credited with steering the party to a historic victory in the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections, ending the BJD’s 24-year reign and enabling the BJP to form its first-ever government in the state on its own. However, Samal lost the Assembly election from Chandabali constituency in Bhadrak district.
Despite his own electoral debacle, Samal’s leadership and organisational skills have earned him strong backing within the party.
