Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Odisha on November 29 has brought the state into focus once again.

This will be the Prime Minister’s longest visit to the state where the BJP has formed a government for the first time.

He will be staying in the state for three days to attend the conference of director-generals of police (DGPs) and inspector-generals of police (IGP). However, the visit also has a political dimension as Modi will be meeting his party leaders. The meeting will take place in the backdrop of the BJP's defeat in the Jharkhand Assembly elections. Jharkhand shares borders with Odisha and former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das is the present governor of Odisha.

The visit intends to consolidate the BJP's gain in Odisha and is also aimed at sending a message to cadres in neighbouring states such as Jharkhand where the party needs to be strengthened right from the grassroots level. In the recent Assembly elections, the BJP did extremely well in Maharashtra but its performance in Jharkhand was disappointing.

It is significant to mention that Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi campaigned for the BJP in Jharkhand. However, his campaign failed to give the required boost to the BJP’s prospects in Jharkhand. Even Odisha governor Raghubar Das was allegedly involved in drawing the BJP's campaign strategy in the tribal-dominated state. The Opposition had accused the governor of turning the Odisha Raj Bhavan into the BJP war room for the Jharkhand election. Even Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma flew to Odisha to meet Das.

During his visit, Modi who will stay at Raj Bhavan, will be meeting state BJP leaders some of whom were actually involved in the Jharkhand campaign. After reaching the airport on November 29, Modi will attend a felicitation ceremony near the airport. From there, he will join a roadshow. Later he will proceed to the party office and meet MLAs, MPs and party leaders and remain closeted with them for two hours.

BJP state unit president Manmohan Samal said: “After the meeting with the party leaders, the Prime Minister will have dinner with the party leaders at the party office. Various issues will be discussed.” Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Samal went to the party office and reviewed the situation.

“The party’s focus is always on the east. All the issues of why the party did well in other states and failed in Jharkhand are likely to be discussed. Modi is likely to give a roadmap to the party leaders and advise them on how to keep people’s trust in them. After the party work is over, the Prime Minister will remain busy with his official works,” said a senior party functionary.

The BJP’s stunning victory in Odisha is being directly attributed to the PM's extensive campaign in recent elections. Modi had cleverly raised issues such as Odisha Asmita (Odia Pride) and the missing keys to the Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of the Puri Shree Jagannath temple. The Prime Minister knows better than anyone else the importance of the Odisha model for states like Jharkhand where the BJP needs to get its act together. Odisha continues to be in focus with Modi recently gracing the Odisha Parba function in New Delhi.

Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said: “It’s a proud moment for the state and points out that the state has gained significant attention and importance from the highest levels of government, particularly from the Prime Minister. The visit will certainly give a positive signal that the central government is focused on Odisha. It will help usher further development to the state, marking a new chapter in the state’s progress.”