BJP to sound panchayat poll bugle at Sudargarh meet today

Sundargarh: The BJP will prepare a blueprint for the panchayat elections slated for next year at a two-day executive body meeting of the party beginning here today.

Several senior party leaders have arrived at this western Odisha town to take part in the crucial meeting. Sundargarh is considered a BJP bastion as it elected the party's lone Lok Sabha member from the state, Jual Oram.

A road map will be prepared at the meeting on how to make people aware about the Modi-government’s pro-poor programmes, State BJP president Basanta Panda said. He added that the party will also chalk out an action plan to strengthen its base at the grassroots.

Tribal affairs minister and Sundargarh MP Jual Oram, Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, party's general secretary and Odisha in-charge Arun Singh are among the party dignitaries who will attend the conference.

The BJP will identify key constituencies where the party's chances are bright in future elections. The party will also chalk out a strategy to attract Dalits, youths and housewives to its fold, BJP sources said.

The saffron party recently announced it would establish shakti kendras in every panchayat, which would act as party's nodal centres to reach out to the people and spread the success stories of the NDA government at the Centre. The party plans to use them as its focal points in rural areas during the panchayat elections in 2017.