Who will be Odisha BJP's next chief? Key meeting held in New Delhi

A pivotal meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders was held in New Delhi to discuss the future leadership of the party in Odisha, on Tuesday.

Speculations are rife as to who will effectively lead the BJP unit in the State, given the party’s organisational strength and action plan for the future.

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According to official sources, the primary agenda was determining who will succeed in leading the party’s strategies and activities in the State as the new chief. Prominent leaders attending the meeting included national vice-president Baijayant Panda, the incumbent state president Manmohan Samal alongside the party's Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar and deputy in-charge Lata Usendi.

This high-level meeting aims to assess the organisational status quo and to devise future strategies. A key topic of deliberation was deciding the responsibility for managing the BJP’s affairs in the State.

In addition, discussions regarding the appointment of Odisha district presidents were also on the table, with a conclusive list expected to be issued within two days.

Once the district presidents' names are confirmed, an official announcement regarding the state president is anticipated.

“Odisha BJP needs organising the youth more, who can give their time to the party with a strong willpower. Mandal-level leaders have already been chosen. Now is the turn of district presidents, which will be decided by the party’s top committee. The new district president names will be announced soon,” BJP’s Kusum Tete said to OTV.

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“Thereafter, the state president will be finalised. However, the process got delayed due to the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention that concluded recently,” Kusum Tete added.

There is considerable conjecture about whether Manmohan Samal will continue to hold his position or whether a new leader will take charge. Political observers keenly wait to see who will navigate the BJP through Odisha’s challenging scenario.