BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday skipped the core committee meeting of the state unit of BJP here. Amid the buzz of early Assembly elections in the state, a meeting of the core committee of the party was convened to discuss important issues including the methodology to be devised for the selection of candidates.
Pradhan, who accompanied Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her two-day visit to the state, had stayed back exclusively for the core committee meeting. He, however, preferred to stay away from the meeting which was held at the party office here as per schedule.
Sources close to Pradhan said he skipped the meeting as nothing substantial could be discussed on important issues involving elections in the absence of national general secretary and Odisha in-charge Bansal who is responsible for overseeing the polls. A next date will be fixed for the core committee meeting when all the members will be available, sources added.
All members of the core committee except Bansal, national vice-president Baijayant Panda and Suresh Pujari were in the city for the meeting. While Pujari is undergoing treatment for cardiac problems at AIIMS, New Delhi, Bansal cancelled his trip to Bhubaneswar last night due to some pressing engagement.
Though Team Samal is tightlipped on the development, sources in the party said other members of core committee including Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu held a close-door meeting and what conspired during the deliberations is not known.
The other contentious issue for the core committee was to discuss change of president of district units of the party as desired by Samal. He is facing stiff opposition from within the party for a complete overhauling of district units which are not active. As many as 20 district units are almost non-functional.
The group opposing major changes in the district organisations argued such a move will prove counter-productive if Assembly elections are advanced. There are possibilities that district presidents who are shown the door will promote groupism within the party.