Raipur: Lata Usendi, a tribal MLA from Chhattisgarh, who became BJP's poster girl during recently-held assembly polls campaigns, has been made co-in-charge of Odisha, a state with sizeable tribal population. On Saturday, the BJP, which is gearing up for 'Mission 2024', appointed several party leaders as in-charges and co-in-charges for states and Union Territories (UTs) to lead the party's poll charge.
The latest rejig is made as part of a well-pronged strategy by party leadership which already decided that the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha would be divided into three zones — north, east and south.
BJP sources said the reboot process assumes significance as the party intended to bring in more 'experienced faces' to give more teeth to the party units and make them combative before the general election.
Considering their experience, several veteran politicians of Uttar Pradesh have been chosen as in-charges of states. Lata Usendi, an MLA from Kondagaon of Chhattisgarh, has been made co-in-charge for Odisha. Along with this, JP Nadda has also reshuffled the election in-charges and co-in-charges.
Recognition as a woman tribal leader
Known as an influential tribal leader, Lata Usendi was born in 1974 at Dhaudai village. Lata inherited the Kondagaon seat from her father, Mangalaram. After completing her graduation, Usendi plunged into politics.
She got the responsibility of the party in 1998. In 1999, Lata Usendi became a councillor for the first time. In 2002, Lata Usendi was made the president of Kondagaon District Mahila Morcha. She became the party candidate from Kondagaon in 2003, winning by a big margin. In 2005, Lata got the responsibility of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. In 2008, she was elected as MLA from Kondagaon.
Lata, however, had suffered a setback in the 2018 assembly elections when she lost to Mohan Markam of Congress, but without being disheartened by the defeat, she continued to persevere and work at the grassroots level. She was promoted to national vice president of the BJP. She was again given the party ticket in 2023 and defeated Markam.
According to poll observers, the BJP's push for tribal votes before crucial state polls in the Hindi heartland made sense. Wooing tribal voters in Chhattisgarh where tribals constitute 30.60 per cent of population, paid dividends for the BJP, which came to power in the state.
The party turned the tables on Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress, which had seized the majority tribal seats in Chhattisgarh in 2018. This time, PM Modi, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda spearheaded the party's renewed campaign in the state's tribal belt during the assembly polls.
