BJP state chief to be elected on July 8

Bhubaneswar: BJP on Friday announced it will elect its new state president on July 8, setting in motion the poll process which was deferred due to the June 29 stampede in Puri. A notification issued by BJP state election officer and MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi said the list of eligible voters will be published on Sunday. Aspiring candidates can file their nominations on Monday while the election — if there are more than one candidate remain in fray — will be held on July 8. Though sources said that incumbent Manmohan Samal is likely to continue in the post, since he has not completed three years since he took over in March 2023, prolonged delay in the process has given rise to speculation regarding other contenders. Senior BJP members Golakh Chandra Mohapatra, Jatin Mohanty and former state unit president Samir Mohanty are among the possible contenders. Earlier, BJP had announced to complete the process in Odisha by July 1. Odisha is among the few states where the state BJP presidents were yet to be elected. The others include Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Haryana and Delhi.Bhubaneswar: BJP on Friday announced it will elect its new state president on July 8, setting in motion the poll process which was deferred due to the June 29 stampede in Puri. A notification issued by BJP state election officer and MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi said the list of eligible voters will be published on Sunday. Aspiring candidates can file their nominations on Monday while the election — if there are more than one candidate remain in fray — will be held on July 8. Though sources said that incumbent Manmohan Samal is likely to continue in the post, since he has not completed three years since he took over in March 2023, prolonged delay in the process has given rise to speculation regarding other contenders. Senior BJP members Golakh Chandra Mohapatra, Jatin Mohanty and former state unit president Samir Mohanty are among the possible contenders. Earlier, BJP had announced to complete the process in Odisha by July 1. Odisha is among the few states where the state BJP presidents were yet to be elected. The others include Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Haryana and Delhi.TNN