The Bharatiya Janata Party members seem to be in an upbeat mood as top Union leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to visit Odisha in the coming days.
PM Modi's visit
Prime Minister Modi is coming to Odisha for the first time on May 6. It will be his first election programme in the state. He will address one public meeting each in Berhampur and Nabarangpur on Monday.
Earlier, Modi had taken a dig at the BJD government in Odisha by mentioning that the Odia language and Odisha’s 'asmita' (identity) are under threat and Odia people will not tolerate it for long. As of now, state BJP leaders are eagerly waiting for the next phase of attack by Modi on the ruling party.
Jaishankar's visit
Prior to PM Modi's visit, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar will be visiting Odisha on May 4. Jaishankar is scheduled to meet intellectuals, editors of various media houses and address a press meet in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. He will attend a meeting in Cuttack on Sunday morning and interact with the intellectuals in Sambalpur in the evening.
Nadda's visit
Similarly, BJP National President JP Nadda is scheduled to visit Odisha on May 5. After releasing the election manifesto of BJP in the Capital City on Sunday afternoon, Nadda is scheduled to visit Cuttack in the evening to share key instructions with party workers and leaders regarding the strategy of the party in the coming elections in Odisha.
"Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar is coming on a two-day visit to Odisha from tomorrow. He will meet some professionals and address a press meet in Bhubaneswar. He will interact with the professionals and intellectuals in Cuttack as well. He will also attend programmes in Sambalpur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Odisha on May 6," informed BJP leader Golak Mohapatra.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had urged the people of the State to uproot the BJD government in the State by highlighting the crisis of Odia identity, corruption by the officers and hijacking of Central schemes in a public meeting in Sonepur.
Similarly, Nadda had also targeted Odisha government in a public meeting at Ambapua in Berhapur by questioning if there are no leaders in Odisha to lead the State. He had also made the people of Odisha aware about the 'conspiracy to bring leaders from outside to govern the State'.
Moreover, PM Modi's statement- 'Odia 'Asmita' (identity) and language under threat' created ripples in State politics and quickly snowballed into one of the biggest poll issues in Odisha. All are waiting to see how the Prime Minister will launch his attack on the ruling dispensation.
"After addressing a public meeting in Berhampur, PM Modi will go straight to Nabarangpur to attend another poll campaign," said BJP leader Pradeep Panigrahi.
Impact of top leaders' visits
Meanwhile, many political experts are of the opinion that Modi's visit will give the electoral politics in Odisha a new turn.
"Many union leaders including Prime Minister Modi are coming to Odisha to address BJP's poll campaigns. It suggests that Central leadership is more concerned about the General Elections in Odisha than the State leaders. It seems as if they have taken it as a mission," said senior journalist Prasanna Mohanty.
As per reports, along with the campaigns of heavyweight leaders, as many as 30 top leaders have been assigned the responsibilities of all the districts in Odisha. Even former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Dev and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav are overseeing BJP's electioneering strategies in the State.