BJP National Executive set to get underway this evening

Bhubaneswar: The BJP National Executive Meet will formally get underway here at around 1700 hrs today with the presidential speech of party chief Amit Shah. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is arriving here shortly, is likely to address the National Executive tomorrow. Earlier in the day, the BJP chief held a national office bearers meet, which was attended by office bearers and also few invitee Central Ministers.

The saffron party has drawn out ambitious plans to capture power in the state in 2019 assembly polls. The regional outfit Biju Janata Dal is in power in the state since 2000. BJP was an ally of BJD till 2009 when the latter quit the NDA over anti-Christian violence at Kandmahal areas. At the two-day national meet, the party will take stock of party's preliminary preparedness for 2019 parliamentary polls as well as elections to elect 147-member Odisha assembly.

The stock taking by top party leaders, including Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of all BJP-ruled states will also dwell on factors those led to the defeat of the BJP in about 125 Lok Sabha seats in 2014. "Some of these seats were winnable and hence will be examined closely," a party leader said. The Prime Minister will be welcomed by a group of tribal students and a group of party workers on motorcycle.

Keeping an eye on local sentiments, Mr Modi is to felicitate members of 16 families associated with the Paika rebellion of 1817. BJP has also indicated that it is willing to rope in leaders and workers from other parties who would agree to join the BJP and accept party's principles and ideologies. However, senior Biju Janata Dal leader Damodar Rout told UNI that the saffron party poses "no threat" to the regional party. "It is their day dream. Let them wish; we are indifferent to whatever hype BJP has tried to create," he said. (UNI)