Who is the New Face of Odisha BJP? Manmohan Samal's Uncontested Re-Election Sparks Interest!

Manmohan Samal Set for Unopposed Re-Election as Odisha BJP President

Bhubaneswar: Manmohan Samal is poised to be re-elected as the president of the Odisha BJP, having been the sole candidate to submit a nomination on Monday.

The current state party leader presented his nomination to Odisha BJP Election Officer and MP Pratap Sarangi, accompanied by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, central observer Sanjay Jaiswal, and other prominent party figures.

Samal was the only individual to file for the presidency, with the nomination process concluding at 3:30 PM.

In addition to Samal, several other leaders submitted their nominations for the position of BJP National Council Member.

According to party insiders, Samal, who previously served as a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government, is expected to be declared elected unopposed on Tuesday.

His leadership is credited with the BJP's significant victory over the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by Naveen Patnaik, during the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections.

Samal took on the role of party president on an interim basis in 2023, just a year before the general elections.

Under his guidance, the BJP secured 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha and achieved a commanding majority in the state Assembly.

The BJP won 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly, while the BJD garnered 51 seats, Congress 14, Independents 3, and CPI(M) 1.

Despite these successes, Samal himself was defeated in the Assembly elections from the Chandabali constituency in Bhadrak district.

Previously, he held the position of Odisha BJP president for three terms: from November 1999 to October 2000, October 2000 to May 2004, and from March 2023 to July 2025.