: With former Odisha Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang joining the BJP in New Delhi on Friday, the party is now hopeful of strengthening its tribal vote bank in Odisha as well as other tribal-dominated regions of the country.
The BJP leaders in Odisha are hopeful that Mr. Gamang’s entry into their party will help them weaken the Congress further in the State by attracting the tribal people.
Mr. Gamang’s joining coincides with the two-day national executive meeting of BJP’s tribal arm, BJP Janajati Morcha, scheduled to commence in Bhubaneswar on June 16.
As many as five Union Ministers and Chief Minister of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are likely to attend the meeting.
“Mr. Gamang’s entry into the BJP will have long-term ramifications, particularly with regard to the tribal population in Odisha and the Eastern region,” said a BJP leader in Bhubaneswar.
By facilitating Mr. Gamang’s entry into its fold, the BJP also plans to emerge as the second largest party after BJD by performing better than the Congress in the Odisha panchayat polls scheduled to be held in 2017.
The BJP leaders both in Odisha as well as at the national level have decided to strengthen the party organisation to ensure better performance in the panchayat polls in order to take on the ruling BJD led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2019 Assembly elections.
According to sources, Gamang had resigned from the Congress on May 30 to join the BJP expecting a plum posting such as Governor or Chairman of any national level organisation.
Mr. Gamang, however, has to wait till BJP president Amit Shah succeeds in convincing Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the benefit their party would gain by appointing the tribal leader in a prominent position.
The picture will be clear in the coming weeks after Mr. Gamang is formally welcomed into the party at a State level rally which the BJP Odisha unit is planning to organise shortly.
That the BJP was making systematic attempts to woo the tribal voters had become evident with the recent appointment of Odisha tribal leader Draupadi Murmu as Governor or Jharkhand.
