Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is likely to undertake a two-day visit soon to Jharkhand where assembly polls are due later this year, sources said Saturday.
Majhi, who heads the BJP’s first government in Odisha and is a prominent tribal leader belonging to the Santhal community, is expected to visit the neighbouring state on September 30 and October 1 and attend the ‘Parivartan Yatra’ of the saffron party, they said.
The Odisha CM is likely to visit Jagannathpur in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand on the first day of his visit and Kolhan in Chaibasa the next day, the sources said.
The development comes after Majhi met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also BJP’s co-in-charge of elections in Jharkhand.
Both the CMs had a discussion at the Raj Bhavan here on Friday in the presence of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das.
Meanwhile, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, who also hails from Odisha and is a tribal leader, on Saturday visited Jharkhand and attended several programmes there.
The saffron party, which is optimistic about winning the polls in Jharkhand, has roped in several party leaders, MLAs and MPs of Odisha.
BJP MP and prominent Kudumi samaj leader Mamata Mohanta has already visited the neighbouring state and is likely to go there again for the election campaign.
Jharkhand shares a border with Odisha’s Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts.
Lakhs of Odia-speaking people live in Jharkhand and the visit of Odia leaders could influence voters in the state, a party leader said here.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly are due this year.
PTI