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BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public meeting at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district on September 27, marking a significant political moment for the BJP in southern Odisha. The announcement was made by revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari here on Saturday.Pujari confirmed that preparations for the mega event are already underway, following the Prime Minister’s formal consent to visit the state later this month. “The PM’s love and affection for Odisha, and his unwavering commitment to its development, are drawing him here time and again. This will be his sixth visit to Odisha in the past year,” Pujari said.The visit is part of the BJP’s nationwide Seva Paksha programme, which spans from Modi’s birthday on September 17 to Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. During the Chhatrapur event, the Prime Minister is expected to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for several key infrastructure projects, reinforcing the Centre’s focus on regional development.Strategically, the BJP has chosen southern Odisha, once a stronghold of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), to deepen its political footprint. The region has witnessed notable shifts in recent months, most prominently with the rise of Pradeep Panigrahy, a former BJD minister who was expelled from the party in November 2020. Panigrahy joined the BJP in February 2024 and went on to win the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat, a development seen as a turning point in Ganjam’s political landscape.Sources said Panigrahy met chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday to discuss the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit, underscoring the strategic importance of the event.The BJP’s southern push has gained further momentum with the recent resignations of former Rajya Sabha MP N. Bhaskar Rao and former minister Lalbihari Himirika from the BJD, signalling a broader realignment ahead of panchayat elections in early 2027.
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