Bhubaneswar: BJD president Naveen Patnaik has convened a meeting of party leaders who unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections, ahead of the state BJP government’s second anniversary, party leaders said Monday.
The meeting has been called at Sankha Bhawan, the BJD state headquarters, at 4 pm June 10.
Patnaik is scheduled to address the gathering and guide the leaders on political strategy and organisational work, a senior leader said.
Addressing a press conference here, BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said the meeting is part of the party’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its organisation after the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
He said the meeting would also review the implementation of party programmes and the progress made in appointing and training booth-level workers across constituencies.
The party had recently constituted a state-level monitoring team to oversee the SIR exercise.
Mishra said party leaders from across the state would be briefed on public issues, including alleged stoppage of various welfare schemes initiated by the BJD and rising concerns over crimes against women, farm distress, fertiliser prices and inflation.
He alleged that the BJP government had failed to carry forward Odisha’s development trajectory.
The meeting comes just days ahead of the BJP government completing two years in office on June 12.
“The leaders will inform the people how the BJP government halted Odisha’s progress achieved by the BJD during its 24 years rule,” Mishra said.
Party leaders said representatives from all 147 Assembly constituencies would be sensitised ahead of the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections scheduled for early 2027.
They said the local body polls would be politically significant as they would test the party’s organisational strength against the ruling BJP.
“All candidates who contested the 2024 Assembly elections on a BJD ticket but were unsuccessful have been asked to attend the meeting. They will get an opportunity to interact with Patnaik and share feedback from their respective constituencies,” a party leader said.
In the 2024 Assembly polls, the BJD secured 40.22 per cent votes and got 51 seats in the Assembly, while the BJP formed the government by getting 40.07 per cent votes and 78 seats.
“The next panchayat poll is crucial for the BJD as it will reestablish that the party is still accepted by the people even as the BJP runs the government in the state,” a senior leader said.
PTI