BJP brass cracks whip, tells Odisha unit to get active ahead of panchayat polls

THe Bharatiya Janata company (BJP) has directed its Odisha building block to increment outreach on the strand and ensure the gains made in the 2024 polls ar not squandered ahead of the panchayat polls that are due next year, people aware of the matter said.In 2024, the BJP won 78 of the 147 seats in the state assembly and formed the government in Odisha for the first time, removing the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) from power after 24 years. The BJP also won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state, even as its count in Uttar Pradesh fell from 62 in 2019 to 33, and its overall tally dropped below the majority mark in Parliament for the first time since 2014.The BJP leadership noted that Odisha leaders were avoiding travel, typically undertaken to connect with the masses. It asked them to expand the party’s footprint and urged the cadre to ensure that the Special Intensive Review (SIR) does not snowball into a political controversy in the state.The BJP wants its cadre to organise help desks for people, given the concerns over SIR and its potential to turn into a political controversy, as it did in West Bengal, which sparked concerns over mass disenfranchisement.BJD Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra has written to the Election Commission of India, raising the issue of approximately 900,000 names identified for deletion during the pre-SIR exercise. He urged the implementation of stronger safeguards to avoid the wrongful exclusion of legitimate electors and ensure that SIR is transparent.The people cited above said BJP chief Nitin Nabin, who was in Odisha last week, held meetings with the state leaders and underscored the importance of travelling and spending time, particularly in the rural areas. “He stressed the need to focus on SIR and said those in charge of booths should be aware of discrepancies and ensure that no eligible voters are removed from the list,” said a BJP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity.Nabin reviewed the cadre’s preparedness for the panchayat polls. He told the state leaders to amplify the state and central schemes that directly impact the electorate and asked them to steer clear of controversies. The cadre was also tasked to amplify the government’s work on social media and use technology to connect with the youth in particular.“He spoke about the need to change the perception that the state government is not working effectively. Some areas need attention...such as improving the communication between the party and the government, and streamlining the working within the party. The central leadership was emphatic that the party cannot rest on its laurels and drop the ball, even though there is no effective opposition on the ground,” said a second leader.The BJD has stepped up its attacks on the government, with Patnaik leading the charge. Patnaik slammed the government for failing to maintain law and order following the May 18 attack on a couple in Berhampur. He said Odisha was “witnessing a terrifying spectacle of anarchy.”