Odisha BJP President Election Put on Hold Following Puri Stampede

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced a temporary suspension of the election process for its Odisha unit president, just hours after the organisational poll procedures were set in motion. The decision came in the wake of a tragic stampede during the Rath Yatra celebrations in Puri that claimed three lives and injured over 50 people.

Confirming the development, Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who has been appointed as the state returning officer for the BJP’s organisational elections, said, “The elections for the state president and national council members from Odisha have been put on hold.”

The stampede occurred near the Shree Gundicha Temple on Sunday morning, triggering widespread shock and mourning. Among the deceased were two women. The state government and emergency services had to act swiftly to manage the large crowd gathered for the annual Rath Yatra festival.

In view of the incident, the BJP decided to pause its internal election process as a mark of respect and in consideration of the ongoing emergency response and relief efforts in Puri.

No fresh date for the resumption of the election process has been announced yet. Party leaders indicated that further steps would be decided after assessing the situation.