SAMBALPUR: BJP president Amit Shah will address a meeting in Sambalpur on February 15 to strengthen the party base in western Odisha. It will be Shah’s third visit to the state in a fortnight after he addressed party workers in Cuttack and Puri districts on January 29 and February 3.Disclosing about Shah’s forthcoming Sambalpur visit, state BJP president Basanta Panda said around 60,000 grassroots workers from Sambalpur, Bargarh, Dhenkanal and Sundargarh would attend. “He will encourage party workers and guide them for a decisive victory in Odisha by dislodging the Naveen Patnaik government,” Panda said.In Sambalpur, party’s national secretary Suresh Pujari said Shah’s Sambalpur visit is all about preparation for the ensuing election. “He will give the victory mantra to the workers here,” said Pujari. He said the party chief’s visit will give impetus to Mission 120 Plus, a campaign to win at least 120 of 147 assembly seats.BJP’s performance was stupendous in the three-tier panchayat poll, especially in western Odisha. Also, of the total number of BJP MLAs in Odisha, eight are from western Odisha and the only MP of the party in the state, Jual Oram, was elected from Sundargarh, also in western Odisha.Shah’s visit will charge the workers here and boost their morale. He said Odisha had very little contribution in making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister in 2014. But Odisha, especially western Odisha, will contribute immensely to make Modi prime minister again. And Shah’s visit will charge the workers. It is the first time that Shah will come to Sambalpur as president of the party, he added.When asked about the growth of Congress in western Odisha after the victory in Chhattisgarh, Pujari said, “We don’t find Congress visible in the area of Chhattisgarh that adjoins western Odisha,” he added.

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