BJP national president Amit Shah was welcomed at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here by party leaders with two lotus garlands, one made of 147 flowers and another with 21, symbolising the 147 Assembly and 21 lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha with an aim to help the lotus bloom even as the party has virtually stolen the sleep of the BJD Government in the recent panchayat elections.
While BJP State president Basanta Panda welcomed Shah with the garland of 147 lotuses, Union Minister Dhamrendra Pradhan greeted him with the other garland of 21 flowers.
In the 2014 lok Sabha elections, only Jual Oram managed to bring victory for the party in the State, which has 21 lS seats.
A large number of party women activists also greeted Shah at the airport with singing gongs and blowing of conchs. After a brief halt at the airport to receive the rousing welcome, Shah was taken in a huge bike rally to AG Square, where he garlanded the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar before driving to Hotel Mayfair, where he would be staying for three days.
In the afternoon, Shah visited the State party office and celebrated the Odia New Year with party workers and drank Pana, the traditional Odia drink enjoyed on the day, thereby striking an emotional chord with people of Odisha.
later, he chaired a meeting of BJP national executive members to finalise the agenda to be discussed at the national executive meeting to be held on Saturday and Sunday at the Janata Maidan.
On the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also arrived at the city to attend the national executive committee meeting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi would arrive at 3.30 pm on Saturday.
On the eight-km stretch of road from the Biju Patnaik International Airport to the national executive venue at the Janata Maidan, a human chain would welcome the Prime Minister. The BJP plans a number of traditional folk dance shows to welcome Modi on his route to the meeting venue.