BHUBANESWAR: The state BJP is upbeat as Union home minister Amit Shah is set to arrive here on Sunday evening on a two-day Odisha visit and hold a political discussion with senior party leaders apart from attending other events.
Addressing a press conference, state BJP president Samir Mohanty said Shah is scheduled to pay obeisance at the Lingaraj shrine on August 8, the last auspicious Monday of the holy month of Shravan, go to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose birthplace museum in Cuttack as part of the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav celebrations and address the 75th anniversary of Odia daily Prajatantra, founded by freedom fighter and state’s first CM Harekrushna Mahtab. He will also attend a book reading session on Modi@20, co-authored by him and hold political discussions with party leaders and workers.
BJP insiders said the saffron camp is more keenly awaiting the in-house political discussion the home minister will have with the state unit leaders at the party’s Bhubaneswar office. With the presidential and vice-presidential elections — for which the BJP wanted to keep the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD in good humour — over, it’s now time to finetune strategies for the 2024 simultaneous Lok Sabha and Odisha assembly elections.
Discussions with Shah will bring a lot of clarity regarding the party’s future political road map in Odisha, a senior BJP leader said. The BJP has planned grand receptions for Shah at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here on Sunday besides Phulanakhara, Link Road, Nishamandi Mandap, Pala Mandap, Badambadi, Dolamundai, Haripur and Dargha Bazar when he travels from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack by road.
