Murmu factor: Eye on 2024, BJP hopes to make inroads into Odisha's tribal belt
India Today
The BJP is eyeing the tribal population in Odisha to achieve victory in the 2024 assembly elections.
Following the success of NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu in the Presidential elections, the BJP is planning to focus on the tribal and women's population in Odisha for the assembly election in 2024.
The tribal population in the state constitutes 23 per cent of the state’s total population. In as many as 12 assembly constituencies, tribals constitute more than 55 per cent of the total population.
Only 17 percent of the population in the state resides in the cities, while the remaining 83 percent lives in the villages.
Out of 147 seats in the state, 24 are reserved for tribals. Of these, the ruling Biju Janata Dal has 20 seats, of which 3 are women MLAs.
BJP strategists believed that focusing on women and tribal voters could push them to victory in the state. Out of the 3.26 crore voters in the state, 1.54 crore are women.
The BJP is also working on election promises to bring women into its fold. These include women's jobs and reservations in local bodies, security, law and order reforms, etc.
The BJD already gave 33 percent of its party tickets to women in the Lok Sabha and local body elections.
