BHUBANESWAR: With the induction of four leaders from Odisha in the reconstituted team of national office bearers, BJP has given a strong message that the coastal state is very much in its radar. In the new organisational structure, BJP president JP Nadda while retaining Baijayant Panda as vice president and Sambit Patra as spokesperson has given scope to two first-time MPs to contribute their service to the party at the national level. Mayurbhanj MP Bisweswar Tudu has been named one of the national secretaries of the party while Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi has been appointed as the new spokesperson.
However, what has come as a big surprise for many in the political circles is the appointment of two leaders from a state like Odisha in the coveted job of spokespersons. Many leaders aspire for the position as this provides an opportunity to project oneself on the national stage. Nadda, who took charge in January, took nearly eight months to finalise his team that will address the ground realities in the next 2024 general elections.
The inclusion of first-timers in important positions indicates that the party is seriously cultivating young leadership. Even as the ‘Mission 120’ of former BJP president Amit Shah could not be realised in Odisha in 2019 elections, the party has not lost hope as is evident from the new team. Many of the stalwart leaders would either be absent or have lost their relevance in the political landscape by the next elections. The party is investing in leadership for the future, political watchers observed.
“This is a good sign for Odisha as it has been accorded four places in the Central team. After inducting two leaders in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party has given opportunities to four more leaders from the state to work at the national level,” party MP from Bargarh, Suresh Pujari said. The party is signalling that the leadership is giving more importance and prominence to Odisha in its plans for the future.
The State has been a focus area for the party for a long time, he added. Pujari, who served as president of Odisha BJP at the time when BJD snapped the alliance, said the new team under Nadda will further strengthen the party organisation in the state. The appointment of Tudu will once again consolidate the organisational hold of the party in tribal districts and help the BJP regain the trust of tribal voters, he said.
Team Nadda signals Odisha very much on BJP radar
Aparajita Sarangi, the former bureaucrat who quit IAS to contest and win the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat in 2019 elections, has the reputation of a hardworking and able administrator. She is well-informed and articulate and will be able to project the message of the party efficiently, sources said. Sarangi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and president Nadda for her appointment. “Am grateful to them for their trust in me. I will put in my best efforts in discharge of my duties. I need best wishes/ blessings of all,” she tweeted.