BJD strongholds target of BJP

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP plans to hit the BJD hard where it hurts the most.

The saffron party has identified Jajpur and Ganjam districts, which are among the strongest BJD bastions, as its launch pad for its grassroots level campaign when party president Amit Shah visits the state for three days in June.

In a build up to Shah's visit, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday addressed a public meeting at

Chandikhole

in Jajpur district where BJD workers and leaders led by Amar Nayak joined the party. The minister has completed a similar exercise in Ganjam last month when he visited

Berhampur

during which the saffron party inducted BJD youth wing's Ganjam district president Ranjan Palai into its fold.

BJP insiders said the party chose the two districts to take Naveen heads-on at places where the BJD looks most robust. In 2014, the BJD had won all 13 assembly segments in Naveen's home district Ganjam besides all seven assembly seats in Jajpur.

"The latest ministry rejig, in which Jajpur got no representation, has helped the BJP. Many BJD MLAs on Monday met at the residence of a senior legislator to consolidate the voice of dissent. The resentment among the BJD leaders and cadres will make the BJP job somewhat easier, analysts said.

The Centre's plan, as announced by Arun Jaitley in this years budget, to create a strategic crude oil reserve at Chandikhole in Jajpur district to reserve crude oil for 90 to 100 days to meet the requirement during emergency situations and crisis has already helped the BJP earn goodwill of the people of the area.

Shah is scheduled to be in the state for three days, tentatively from June 22, for grass-root connect as part of the saffron partys Deen Dayal Upadhya Karya Vistar Yojana, which the BJP boss launched at Naxalbari in

West Bengal

last month.

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