Bhubaneswar: The re-election of Manmohan Samal as president of the Odisha unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the second consecutive term was a mere formality.
It was an easy run for the veteran leader with no other contenders filing nominations for the post. However, his fourth term as state BJP chief is fraught with twin challenges of factionalism within the party and coordination bottlenecks between the party and the government.
The focus will also be on resolving leadership disputes and appointing heads of state PSUs/corporations.
The organisational skills of this grassroots leader, who led the party to a massive victory in the 2024 Assembly polls while sweeping the Lok Sabha seats from Odisha, will again be put to test in the upcoming students’ union and panchayat and municipal elections in 2027.
Factionalism In State BJP
Factionalism within the BJP has come to the fore on multiple occasions since its maiden government took office in June 2024. There have been talks about influence and interference of a dominant faction within the party, which was evident during the cabinet selection and the recent distribution of Rath Yatra passes, leading to chaos and delay in pulling of the chariots.
The BJP also found itself cornered after the recent assault on a senior BMC officer, prompting suspension of 5 members of the ruling party. Groupism has hit both the party and the government.
How will Samal maintain harmony in the party and resolve the internal differences? Will he be able to carry all factions along?
The biggest challenge for him will be to manage the various factions, from the grassroots to the top. However, with Samal as state president, it is being speculated that factional loyalties may shift, potentially altering the power dynamics within the saffron brigade.
Settling Leadership and Filling Posts
Differences between the BJP government in Odisha and the state party leadership have prevented Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi from expanding/reshuffling his ministry and also in appointing heads to state-run corporations. After assuming office on June 12 last year, Majhi inducted 14 leaders into his ministry, with expectations that the remaining vacancies would be filled within a month. Despite completing a year in office, six ministerial positions remain vacant.
Political observers attributed it to lack of cohesion and unity within the party.
As the state BJP chief, Samal’s opinions will undoubtedly carry weight in these matters. However, he has to take decisions on who to be included in the ministry, who to get dropped and how to pick and choose leaders for filling up political positions, taking into account various factions, regional considerations, and caste equations. Keeping everyone happy is no mean task.
Samal also has to ensure synergy between the government and the party, which is essential for good governance, something the Majhi dispensation has to ensure.
Another Poll Litmus Test
Samal’s leadership was pivotal in the BJP’s 2022 Dhamnagar by-election victory, which broke the BJD’s undefeated bypoll streak since 2009. Though he himself lost the Assembly election from Chandbali constituency in Bhadrak district, the veteran politician is widely credited for the party’s 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. He took a strong stand against any alliance with the BJD for the twin polls and convinced the party’s central leadership to fight alone.
The students’ union election will be his next litmus test. More so, since the BJD has dominated campus politics for over a decade. Samal will have to provide a winning strategy for the BJP’s student wing, ABVP.
Similarly, the panchayat elections will be held in a year and a half and he will need to start strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level to counter stiff competition from the Opposition, BJD and Congress. Since the performance of the BJP government will play on the minds of the voters, he will have to ensure seamless cooperation between the state and the Centre.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent trips indicate that Odisha is a focus state for Delhi having given 20 of 21 Lok Sabha seats to the party. The BJP may effect changes in both the cabinet and organisational levels in the state. Amid all this, Majhi and Samal will have to wade carefully through the aspirations of several leaders, vying for positions.