With the aim of seizing power by replacing the 24-year reign of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled a plethora of pledges including filling up of 2.15 lakh government sector positions and payment of ₹3,100 per quintal of paddy, intended to resonate with a broader spectrum of society.
BJP president J. P. Nadda on Thursday released party’s manifesto targeting the State Assembly election this year.
“We will ensure recruitment to 1.5 lakh vacant government posts in a fair and transparent manner. Recruitment for 65,000 posts will be completed in two years. We will fill the vacancies for Other Backward Class (OBC) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) on the priority basis,” the manifesto says.
The party will power Odisha into a top-performing economy and create over 3.5 lakh jobs by 2029, the party says.
The BJP has promised payment of ₹3,100 per quintal during paddy procurement. “Procurement will be done through electronic weighing machines in all mandis, eliminating the current practice of katni-chhatni (the practice of deduction of paddy). Payment will be transferred to farmers within 48 hours through Direct Benefit Transfer,” the party said.
The BJP promised to launch the Subhadra Yojana, under which every woman would receive a cash voucher of ₹50,000, which can be encashed over two years.
“We will aim to create 25 lakh Lakhpati Didis (women members of self-help groups) in Odisha by 2027. For this, we will create industrial clusters for every 500 SHGs, wherein we will provide facility management for product marketing and promotion,” the party said, aiming to tap support among women.
In the manifesto, BJP says, “we will provide an annual lean period allowance of ₹10,000 to every fisherman and revolutionise the fishing industry by upgrading fishing harbours, setting up cold warehouses and processing houses for fisheries.”
On the infrastructure front, the party says, “We will ensure world-class road connectivity across Odisha by constructing 75,000 km of rural and State highway roads connecting all gram panchayats, district headquarters, and the State capital.”
“The BJP is not fighting elections to remain in the Opposition in Odisha and it has resolved to come to form government. Let it be very loud and clear. All tall promises of the Naveen Patnaik government including irrigation have fallen flat. The income of Odisha’s farmers is the lowest in the country. The highest migration is originating from the State. The State government is unconcerned about the issues,” Mr. Nadda said.
The BJP chief said, “Politics of caste, creed, regionalism, corruption and nepotism are the character of non-BJP parties. Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, we always give emphasis on the politics of development. The Opposition is now forced to talk about development.”
Stating that Odisha was always a priority of the Modi government, Mr. Nadda said, “The State was given ₹3.2 lakh crore through tax evolution mechanism and ₹1.7 lakh crore of grant-in-aid.”
