Bhubaneswar: In a sharp departure from the earlier occasions, BJP national president Amit Shah during his one day visit to the State on Friday, choose to stay away from talking to media and held discussions with party’s office bearers here. Shah, party karyakartas (activists) said, expressed his enthusiasm about the ensuing panchayat poll results.
“Besides the overwhelming rise in number of nominations, he (Shah) was apprised about the changed political situation in the State. He asked the karyakartas to work hard to get the desired results in the ensuing panchayat polls”, Union minister Jual Oram said.
“We too hope that the election results will be on our expected lines”, Oram maintained adding Shah’s suggestion will be helpful for the party activists.
Union Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan who too accompanied Shah during the tour, said Shah took stock of the political situation in Odisha.
“He (Shah) guided the party leaders on party's future approach towards BJD and discussed strategies for the approaching panchayat elections.
"There was no specific agenda. But naturally when the party president is here, we expect him to guide us on party matters," Pradhan said.
“Definitely it will encourage the party activists”, the minster stated.
This was Shah's third visit to the State after he took over the reign of the saffron party. In a public meeting here in November last year, Shah had given a clarion call for regime change in Odisha, a sharp departure from his stoic silence against Naveen in his first meeting here in January 2015. Asking BJP workers to work hard to bring the saffron party to power in the state in 2019, Shah had told them to "show the trailer by doing well in the panchayat elections."