Bhubaneswar – Veteran saffron leader Manmohan Samal is expected to return as president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Odisha unit, with the formal announcement likely on Tuesday, party insiders say.
Samal’s seasoned stewardship was pivotal in the BJP’s dramatic rise during the 2024 state elections. His long‑standing rapport with the Sangh Parivar helped knit grass‑roots cadres into a disciplined, election‑ready force that nudged the party to the forefront of Odisha’s political arena.
A fixture in state politics for more than four decades, Samal first emerged as Bhadrak College’s student‑union president in 1979. He went on to helm the state BJP in 1999, take a Rajya Sabha seat the following year, and win the Dhamanagar Assembly constituency in 2004. During the coalition era, he oversaw key portfolios such as Revenue, Food Supply, and Consumer Welfare, honing his reputation as an able administrator.
When the BJP tapped him again for the top organisational post on 23 March 2023, Samal steered the party through intense campaign seasons, contesting independently and widening its footprint across Odisha. Those strategic gains set the stage for the party’s strongest showing yet, and now, party leaders appear keen to extend his mandate.
If confirmed, Samal’s re‑election will signal continuity at the helm as the BJP sharpens its focus on consolidating recent victories and preparing for upcoming electoral battles in the state.
