Odisha: Modi-Majhi ‘Chemistry’ Creates Flutter Among BJP Fence-Sitters

In the past few months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a record number of visits to Odisha, which no other Prime Minister has done.

“No other Prime Minister has made 25 visits to Odisha during the pre- and post-poll extravaganza, which is a telling example of Modi’s focus not on Odisha’s politics alone but something else that’s playing in his mind,” political analyst Rabi Das told NewsClick.

In January this year, Modi has visited Odisha twice, and if one takes count of his visits to the state during the campaigns for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls (in May), it surpasses the record of any earlier Prime Minister.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has been dubbed by his critics as an unassertive leader so far, but since the past few days, the Prime Minister has taken great pains to show that Majhi is no less an entity than what his cabinet colleagues are allegedly trying to project.

Modi’s efforts during the past one or two months clearly have led to disgruntled elements within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who have tried to create a mirage of being important in state politics, now appear to have gone quiet. Is the PM trying to change BJP’s ‘poster boy’?

Right from the poster war during the non-resident Indian conclave in Bhubaneswar by removing the posters of all leaders, Modi has, in a way, has sent out warning signals to BJP fence-sitters not to overstep their limits, say political observers.

Instead, the NRI event saw only posters with photos of Modi and Majhi plastered throughout the capital city.

Read Also: Odisha: Is BJP ‘Double Engine’ Govt Playing a Double Game in State Politics?

“That sent a message to the so-called (BJP) frontliners in Odisha that “mind you somebody is watching”, ” said Das.

Even during the recent ‘Utkarsh Odisha’ event in Bhubaneswar, the Prime Minister made it clear that it was only Majhi who enjoyed centrestage space along with Modi, regardless of the former’s ‘dull oratory’.

It was Majhi who got the opportunity to read out the outcomes of the NRI conclave (Make in Odisha Conclave 2025) while rounding up the mega event that claimed to have drawn over Rs 16 lakh crore investment in various sectors in the state.

It is a different thing that the 2025 NRI Conclave, according to critics, focused on the abundant mineral wealth in Odisha-- a honey comb that is perceived to allure investors -- may fall into the net of private miners, such as the Adani group.

While highlighting his government’s achievements, Chief Minister Majhi said “this conclave has solidified Odisha’s position as a Global Investment Destination”

All the hoardings on the Make in Odisha Conclave 2025, splashed only the photographs Modi and Majhi at central locations in Bhubaneswar and other district towns. This appears to be a departure from the past occasions when pictures of other state BJP leaders, too, were included.

 "It is time Mohan Charan Majhi became more assertive as the ‘Man Friday of Modi in Odisha" said Rameswar Rao, a senior journalist. 

With these recent events, Prime Minister Modi seems to have demolished the ambiguity around Majhi’s longevity in the CM’s post, which some state BJP leaders had been doubting.

The writer is a freelancer based in Odisha. The views are personal.