BHUBANESWAR: Ending all speculations over a new face leading BJP’s Odisha unit, the party leadership seems to have reposed faith on the competence of incumbent president Manmohan Samal for the top organisational job. Samal was the only candidate to file nomination for the post on Monday and is set to be appointed for a fourth term.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi being present with Samal during his nomination filing made it amply clear that he was firmly behind him. The formal announcement of Samal’s election as the state BJP chief will be done by party’s election observer for the state Sanjay Jaiswal on Tuesday.
Balasore MP and returning officer Pratap Chandra Sarangi said the elections for the president and national council members were held following due democratic process, and the winners will announced on Tuesday.
Samal has been heading the state unit since March 23, 2023 and led the party to a massive victory in the 2024 Assembly polls while sweeping the Lok Sabha seats from Odisha.
Earlier, he was elected twice to the post in 1999 and 2001. On his imminent election as state party president, Samal said, “I have always worked as an ordinary worker of the BJP. The party’s decision is a recognition of collective efforts, not individual achievement.”
Speaking to mediapersons, Jaiswal said, “I have been assigned the task of an observer for this organisational election by the party’s national president JP Nadda.
I have received 32 nominations for the national council members and one for the state president. A formal announcement will be made tomorrow (Tuesday).” Earlier in the day, Bargarh MP Pradip Purohit, another aspirant for the post, indicated that he had withdrawn from the race.
Speaking to mediapersons, Purohit said, he was a disciplined worker of the party and will abide by the decision taken by the leadership. The other names that have been doing the rounds were state BJP vice-president Golak Mohapatra and Kandh a m a l MP Sukanta Panigrahi.