Odisha BJP Holds ‘Shakti Vandan’ Workshop To Win Over Women Voters

Bhubaneswar: As part of its strategy to win over women voters ahead of General Elections, the BJP conducted a workshop, Shakti Vandan, for its leaders and workers in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and state BJP president Manmohan Samal addressed the party workers at the workshop. They spoke on how to win over the support of women voters to ruling BJD.

According to sources, the BJP will target the women members of self-help groups (SHGs) and NGOs working in the state. The party leaders said SHGs are financially supported by the Centre as it bears 7% of the loan interest given to them while the state pays 4% of the total amount.

“Various women-centric programmes of the Centre including Lakhpati Didi and Namo Drone Didi can be  highlighted among the SHG members. Similarly, the Centre has been giving assistance for community support staff of CRP and MBK,” said Sadhvi.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given us a target to create two crore lakhpati didis. We will have to mobilise them in the days to come,” she added.

Alleging that the BJD government in the state was taking credit for the Central schemes, she said she had found Biju Awas written on the house of a beneficiary of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Puri. Such activities of the ruling party should be brought to the notice of the women voters, she added.