BJP to elect Odisha president in Jan

Bhubaneswar: BJP state unit will elect its new president in Jan, party's Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar said here on Thursday. "Ours is a democratic party. The new president will be duly elected by the state BJP cadres next month," Tomar told media persons here. Tomar said the district presidents and office-bearers will be elected before that.
BJP insiders said incumbent Manmohan Samal, who took over as party president in March 2023, months ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, may get a full three-year term. Since the party has come to power under his leadership, he would in likelihood continue in the post, he said.
While various others names are doing the rounds as possible candidates, state BJP vice-president Golak Mohapatra also remains contender for the coveted post. With a strong RSS background, Golak's name was doing the rounds when Samal took over from Samir Mohanty. The party may also spring a surprise by naming one of the MLAs for the post.