Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi meets BJP MPs in New Delhi ahead of vice-presidential election

Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi held a crucial meeting with BJP MPs from the state in New Delhi on Monday, on the eve of the vice-presidential election on Tuesday.Majhi, who arrived in Delhi on a two-day visit, met the MPs at the official residence of Lok Sabha member Pratap Chandra Sarangi. State BJP president Manmohan Samal, party’s Odisha in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar, and co-in-charge Lata Usendi were present at the meeting.Speaking to media persons, the CM said the gathering was timed to coincide with the MPs’ presence in Delhi for a training programme and the VP election. “I wanted to use the occasion to meet all of them together and discuss various issues relating to the state’s development. The MPs play a significant role in taking up the state’s issues with the Centre. We discussed several schemes of the central and state govts. The MPs also raised concerns specific to their constituencies,” Majhi said.The CM added that the upcoming state assembly session, scheduled from Sept 18 to 25, was also part of the discussion agenda. Various issues to come up in the House were discussed.On the VP election, Majhi said the NDA has the numbers to secure victory and declined to comment on the BJD’s decision to abstain from voting. “It’s for the central leadership to comment,” he said.BJP insiders said that CM Majhi’s latest visit to Delhi — coming just days after his earlier five-day tour that concluded on Sept 5 — underscores his sustained engagement with the party’s central leadership.With both Majhi and Samal currently in the national capital, party sources said that discussions may include the long-pending expansion of Odisha’s council of ministers, as well as appointments to key state boards and corporations.