**Bhubaneswar**: Ahead of the upcoming elections in Odisha, as well as the general elections next year, Amit Shah’s visit was a part of an agenda to strengthen the party’s voter base in Odisha.
But BJD remains undeterred by the strategy undertaken by the BJP’s president.
BJD MLA Dibya Shankar Mishra alleged, “Many issues were highlighted in the manisfesto of BJP in 2014, but not a single issue has been completed or fulfilled uptil now, be it return of black money, Ram Mandir construction, cleaning of river Ganges, Minimum Support Price for the farmers, pro-poor policies, etc. The people voted them and expected results, but got nothing. Those were only false promises just to win elections.”
“On the other hand, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik is a man of action, not of words. Odisha has developed in all sectors. The once starving Kalahandi is now way ahead in farming; our CM has been given the award of best administrator. The people of Odisha are with CM Naveen Patnaik as we are working for the people at the grassroots. We are far ahead in strategy than the BJP,” he said on the party’s counter-strategy to that of BJP.
Amit Shah visited Odisha as a part of his campaign to visit all Statesby July end to get a first hand feel of the preparations and the status of the party on the ground level. He highlighted the need to develop booth-specific strategy during his closed door interactions with the party leaders and ground level workers in Odisha on Sunday.
BJP leader Pradeep Purohit said, “The party workers at the grassroots get motivated with the visit of party president Amit Shah. He asked the party workers to go to all villages and talk about Modi’s achievements, the amount given by the Central Government to the State Government for developmental purpose and even to oversee whether this money has been spent properly by the BJD government or not.”
But, according to BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb, “The mission 120 was refuted by the Union Petroleum Minister few days earlier saying the target to be around 79. All the parties are strategizing their electioneering process now. The BJD is busy with its ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Bikaash’ and ward committee meetings. The Congress and the Communist Party are also busy in their election strategies. Why so much hullabaloo over Amit Shah visit? He will visit often now.”
Both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are due in Odisha next year. The elections for Odisha’s 147-seat assembly will be held around the same time as the 2019 General Elections.
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