BHUBANESWAR: Manmohan Samal was officially anointed the state BJP president on Tuesday. His fourth term as the state party chief was announced by central observer-cum-election officer Sanjay Jaiswal in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and senior leaders at the BJP’s state headquarters here.
Felicitating Samal at a special function organised by the party, the chief minister wished him all success on taking charge as the state president on the auspicious occasion of Niladri Bije of Lord Jagannath.
“Samal has always brought good fortune for the party. During his first term as president, the party became a partner in the coalition government in 2000 which continued through his second term. But, his third term will be written in gold in history of BJP as the impossible became possible under him,” Majhi said alluding to the victory of the party in 2024 elections and assuming power in the state for the first time.
Majhi hailed Samal as a grassroots leader who rose from the bottom. “This is the difference between BJP and other parties. “A worker who puts up posters can become an MLA, minister, MP and reach the top leadership of the party. I, a common worker from Keonjhar’s Raikela village, have been elevated to the position of chief minister,” Majhi said.
Giving the entire credit for the success of the party in the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections to Samal, Majhi said, “I firmly believe that his strong leadership, astute organisational skills and dedication to the workers will take the party to new heights in the coming days and play a key role in scripting Odisha’s prosperous future.”
The chief minister said they will work as two sides of a coin for development of the state. Majhi’s message to the party workers was loud and clear when he said ‘Joda ku ghoda nunhe sari’ (which loosely means a horse cannot be equal to two persons) - an obvious reference to the fact that he backed Samal’s re-election in the face of opposition from a powerful group in the party.
“Manmohan Samal has become BJP state president for the fourth time. I am a four-time MLA. We will work as a unified force. Party organisation and government are like two sides of a coin. These two sides have resolved to work together for the development of the state,” Majhi added. In response to his felicitation, Samal dedicated all the success in the last elections to party workers who worked relentlessly to bring the BJP to power after a long struggle for over four decades. He did not forget to mention the crucial role the RSS played during the last elections.
“I still repeat what I said earlier. We won’t rest. Our responsibilities have increased and we will fulfil our promises and work for the people,” he said, asserting that the BJP government will play long innings. He called upon the workers to visit every village, connect with everyone and resolve their problems.
All MPs barring three Union ministers, state ministers and MLAs were part of the felicitation programme.