Other States - Orissa   

Major political parties in poll mode in State

Rallying point: Congress activists marching to Dhouli Peace Pagoda in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

BHUBANESWAR: A possible mid-term poll in the country and likelihood of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik favouring conduct of Assembly elections simultaneously has put almost every political party in the State on poll mode.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal, its partner Bharatiya Janata Party and Opposition Congress chose the Gandhi Jayanti day on Tuesday to organise Padyatras and meetings with a view to brighten their electoral prospects.

While the BJD and Congress had previously said that they were ready for the polls, the BJP made its plans public on Tuesday saying that it had started preparations for a possible election.

The BJP held a meeting at its State headquarters here to finalise various plans to make the party ready for a mid-term poll.

The meeting, which was attended by the Observers and Booth Committee heads of the party’s 37 organisational districts, was presided over by State president Suresh Pujari.

Several Members of Parliament and legislators, who were in-charge of various frontal organisations, also participated in the meeting.

It was decided in the meeting that the party would organise meetings of party office-bearers in all the 314 blocks of the State during the next one-month time.

State level leaders of the party will attend these meetings to sort out the problems facing the organisational units at the grassroots level.

Simultaneously, the party will also launch a special membership drive to add to its existing membership strength.

The meeting also decided to take up agitational programmes in different parts of the State at different times to identify itself with the problems facing the general public.

As regards the BJD, the party started its nine-day Jan Sampark Abhijan with Chief Minister and party president Naveen Patnaik visiting several localities in the city.

The Chief Minister went round a slum cluster in VSS Nagar area and interacted with the people to know about their problems.

The Jan Sampark Abhijan by the party with Mr. Patnaik and several of his party colleagues appeared like election campaigning when they addressed a public meeting in the area highlighting the government’s achievements during the past seven years.

The financial position of the State had improved considerably due to various measures taken by his government, Mr. Patnaik said in his address.

Similar Padyatras and meetings were also organised by the party at different places across the State.

The Congress camp was jubilant with party’s newly appointed in-charge for the State Ajay Maken participating in a peace march that the party organised from its State headquarters here to the Dhauli peace pagoda.

Mr. Maken is scheduled to visit the cholera-affected blocks of Koraput and Rayagada districts in the State to oversee the AICC-sponsored relief operations in those areas.

A large number of deaths due to cholera in the region was likely to be a major issue during future polls.

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