BHUBANESWAR: The state BJP has formally kicked off preparation for the crucial elections to the three-tier panchayati raj institutions (PRIs), due in February next year, with focus on booth-level consolidation, cadre training and targeted public outreach programmes.
The party’s state office-bearers meeting chaired by state BJP president Manmohan Samal here on Sunday held extensive deliberations on the strategy and roadmap for the polls. The meeting was attended by deputy chief ministers Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida along with BJP state in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar, general secretaries, vice-presidents and district in-charges.
The meeting reviewed organisational preparedness and outlined a detailed roadmap for the rural elections, which are expected to be a key political test for the party after coming to power in the state.
Even as Samal described the meeting a regular organisational exercise aimed at strengthening coordination across panchayat, mandal and district units, sources said the central focus remained on drawing up a comprehensive election strategy for the rural local bodies, which are still firmly under the grip of the BJD.
“The party is prioritising booth-level management, finalisation of frontal committees and identification of “winnable” candidates for panchayat samitis and zilla parishads. District-wise strategy sessions are already underway to assess local dynamics and plug organisational gaps,” the sources said.
The party has also intensified its outreach in rural and tribal belts, seeking to highlight the achievements of the BJP government and consolidate support among key voter groups. Training programmes are being rolled out to equip cadres with communication strategies and ideological clarity ahead of the campaign.
In addition, the BJP plans to scale up the reach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly programme Mann Ki Baat to the village-level as part of its broader engagement strategy.
Meanwhile, Tomar on Monday said that the party would sharpen its campaign against the Opposition’s stance on the Women’s Reservation Bill. He said a statewide agitation plan involving rallies, village-level outreach and protests in educational institutions, will be organised till the end of the month to expose the anti-women stance of the Opposition.