BHUBANESWAR: The demand for special category State status for Odisha is back again as the main agenda of the BJD which won 12 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 General Elections.
Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on Sunday asked the 12 newly-elected Lok Sabha MPs of the party to forcefully push for the demand for special status for Odisha. “He (Naveen) impressed upon the need to raise the demand for special category State status for Odisha, which is vulnerable to natural calamities,” said former Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu, who has been elected from Berhampur Lok Sabha seat on a BJD ticket.
The Chief Minister had a meeting with the MPs to discuss strategies to be adopted by the party and issues to be raised in Parliament.
Sahu said the BJD president emphasised on the need for securing special status for Odisha to ensure speedy and balanced development of the State. The special tag will play a significant role in boosting the State’s economy and elevating the status of the poor and downtrodden. As Odisha is prone to frequent natural calamities, the Chief Minister also stressed on the need for getting adequate funds from the Centre for disaster management and preparedness, he said.
This apart, the Chief Minister also asked the BJD MPs to press for 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and State legislatures. The Chief Minister had put the formula of 33 per cent reservation of seats for women in Lok Sabha by fielding women candidates in seven out of the 21 Parliamentary seats in Odisha in 2019 elections.
Naveen had also piloted a resolution in Odisha Assembly for 33 per cent quota for women in Parliament and State legislatures. The resolution was adopted unanimously in the Assembly after which he took up the issue with leaders of political parties and other States.
Dismissing suggestions that fall in number of BJD Lok Sabha Members from 20 to 12 may affect the effectiveness of the regional party in Parliament, Sahu said, “We will do our best to safeguard the interest of Odisha and fight for the rights of the State.”
Five out of seven women Lok Sabha candidates fielded by BJD in 2019 elections have won. Pramila Bisoyi, leader of a women self help group and considered as BJD’s women empowerment mascot, won from Aska Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 2,04,707 votes. The other winning women candidates are Rajashree Mallick (Jagatsinghpur), Chandrani Murmu (Keonjhar), Sarmistha Sethi (Jajpur) and Manjulata Mandal (Bhadrak).
Senior BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, who won from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat for the sixth consecutive time, said since seven of the 12 party MPs are completely new, they were briefed about their roles and responsibilities. “We will work in unison and in a coordinated manner to ensure that Odisha gets its due from the Centre,” he said.
Focus on women
● Naveen had fielded women candidates in seven out of the 21 Parliamentary seats in Odisha in 2019 elections
● Five out of seven women Lok Sabha candidates fielded by BJD have won
● The winning women candidates are Pramila Bisoyi, Rajashree Mallick, Chandrani Murmu, Sarmistha Sethi and Manjulata Mandalo