Bhubaneswar: The Odisha BJP has decided to intensify its mass outreach programme to "connect" with the people ahead of the next general elections.
Sources said the party, which is eager to cash in on the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cuttack rally, had asked cadres to fan out to all parts of the state to take the success stories of BJP-led NDA government to the people as part of its "Mahasampark Abhiyan", which began on May 26, the day Modi completed his four year's in office. "This programme will continue till June 11, and then there will be more such campaigns till the next elections," said state BJP chief Basant Panda, making it clear that the party was keen to sustain the momentum generated by Modi's rally.
Sources said that with both the Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah focusing on Odisha, the party had begun to fancy its chances in the state, where it has only 10 MLAs. "Success in elections is all about positioning yourself advantageously vis-à-vis your opponents. For this, it is important to have a head start over them in terms of pre-election campaign. Right now, we are concentrating on that," said a senior BJP leader, pointing out that the abhiyan was preceded by the party's Gram Swaraj campaign, during which people, especially in the rural areas, had been made aware of the Modi government's village-specific initiatives.
The Odisha BJP is also pinning great hopes on its "Mo booth sabuthu mazboot" (my booth the strongest) programme to strengthen its organisation right up to the booth level. The emphasis on the programme is clear from the fact that Shah, himself, has toured Odisha several times in the recent past to lend the state unit a helping hand in its implementation. In July last year, he had undertaken a whirlwind tour of Ganjam, Jajpur and Khurda districts in this connection.
Simultaneously, the "vistaraks" selected by the party have been meeting people at villages in all the 147 Assembly constituencies of Odisha regularly and acting a bridge between them and the top BJP leadership. "This ensures a regular interaction between the people and the party at the grassroots level," said a BJP leader, expressing hope that the party would be able to translate such moves into votes at the time of elections.
However, BJD secretary Bijay Nayak asserted that given the popularity of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the BJP was unlikely to pose any major threat to his party in Odisha. "Let them try their best. We know we are far ahead of them," he said.
