BJP gears up for State president election

BHUBANESWAR: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit geared up for the State president election as the term of present president Jual Oram would be completed after few days. Speculation is rife about the probable candidates for the next president of the State wing of BJP.

In order to discuss on the matter, BJP’s national general secretary Narendra Singh Tomar and party’s Odisha-in-charge Santosh Gangwar would visit the State on Thursday. They would take opinions from the executive body members in the central committee, State and district-level committee members regarding the election of appropriate candidate, party official sources said.

While Oram said the president selection would be held in mutual understanding otherwise they would go for election. “The best candidate would be selected on the basis of active workers’ opinion, if not, we would go for election process to choose the right candidate,” Oram added.

According to the sources, some leaders of the party including national general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, Vijay Mohapatra, BJP MLA Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo, State BJP vice-president and spokesman Ashok Sahu, General Secretary Basant Panda and Nayan Mohanty are on the race for the president post.

“I’m not in the race as we in the BJP party believe in ‘one man one post’ thought. It is a speculation only,” said KV Singh Deo, while Dharmendra prdhan denied his stand for the position of party president.