Bhubaneswar, June 29: The BJP on Sunday suspended the process for electing its Odisha unit president, just hours after announcing the schedule, in the wake of a tragic stampede during the Rath Yatra celebrations in Puri.
The stampede, which occurred near the Shree Gundicha Temple early Sunday morning, claimed the lives of three people, including two women, and left more than 50 others injured.
Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who has been designated as the state returning officer for the BJP’s organisational elections, confirmed the decision. He said the election process for both the state president and members of the national council from Odisha has been “put on hold” out of respect for the incident.
