Bhubaneswar, Mar 18: The BJP Odisha state election committee held a meeting recently and discussed how the party is going to improve the state which has not improved in 24 years, said Aiswarya Biswal, the President of Odisha BJP Mahila Morcha and a core member of the Odisha election committee on Monday.

She said the same state government has been ruling for 24 years.

"Recently, we had our state election committee meeting and we elaborately discussed the strategy of the BJP and how we are going to improve our state where it is right now because nobody is happy. We haven't improved in 24 years with a single government that is reigning in Odisha for 24 years. A lot has been discussed about what the BJP needs to do for Odisha," Aiswarya Biswal said.

"We also discussed who the eligible candidates are and how we should choose the candidates so that they can shape Odisha in a new way," she added.

She echoed the importance of aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and underscored the necessity of selecting candidates who possess a drive to elevate Odisha to new heights.

"We need to carry forward the vision of PM Modi. We need educated people who are accepted by society and have a passion to take Odisha to new heights and winnability. We discussed a lot about the candidates. There was a discussion going on about people who will most probably contest the elections," Biswal said.

Earlier on Saturday Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced that the general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases from April 19.

The counting will be held on June 4.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for Lok Sabha and four state Assembly elections.

The assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha will be held on May 13. While the Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim on April 19; Counting of votes will be held Jun 4.

A total of 96.8 crore voters will be eligible to cast their vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said.

Meanwhile, on Friday, popular Odia actor-turned-politician Arindam Roy joined the BJP ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.

Roy claimed that he was sidelined by the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party and was not allowed to meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik despite several attempts.

"I have joined the BJP inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will work hard to strengthen the party in the state," Arindam Roy added.

(ANI)

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