BJP, BJD bracing for a face-off in Odisha on September 29, 30 

BJP president J. P. Nadda is scheduled for a two-day visit to the State

The BJP and the BJD are bracing for a face-off in Odisha as the two parties will hold important organisational meetings here on September 29 and 30.

While BJP national president J. P. Nadda would arrive in Bhubaneswar on a two-day visit to the State on Thursday, the BJD has asked its functionaries to prepare a roadmap for its padyatra on the two days, at the State capital.

Mr. Nadda’s visit, according to political observers, is a part of BJP’s build-up for the 2024 elections in the State that started with the visit of Home Minister Amit Shah in August. Subsequently, eight Union Ministers came to the State in connection with their departmental events in the first half of September. All of them pointed out the failures of the Naveen Patnaik Government and BJP’s readiness to challenge BJD’s domination.

Mr. Nadda is likely to address booth level workers at Janata Maidan where 20,000 cadres could assemble on Thursday. He is also scheduled to hold a meeting of party frontal organisations at the same venue on September 30.

The saffron party had recently held a three-day training camp in Puri where senior party leaders coached the State leadership on strengthening grassroot structures and on the party’s approach towards various burning issues. BJP National General Secretary (organisation) B. L. Santhosh and in-charge of Odisha affairs Sunil Bansal addressed the camp.

Meanwhile, the BJD has asked all its MPs and MLAs to be present in Bhubaneswar on September 29 and 30 and guide its cadre to prepare a roadmap for the month-long padyatra to be organised across the State between October 2 and November 2. Representatives of panchayat raj institutions and office bearers of youth, women and student wings of the party would also attend a meeting at the capital. It needs to be mentioned that BJD had registered a landslide victory in both rural and urban body elections held earlier this year.