Barely a week after it strategically timed the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple Parikrama project in Puri with the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya, the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government is rolling out the second phase of its temple gambit, this time in the BJP’s western Odisha stronghold.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Patnaik will inaugurate the Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives (SAMALEI) project at Sambalpur. Samaleswari or Samalei is known to be the presiding deity of the western region of the state. At the temple, situated on the banks of the Mahanadi river, the Goddess has been worshipped as ‘adishakti’ for centuries.

Considering the sentiments attached to it, Patnaik had not only announced a Rs 200-crore upgradation plan for the temple months after unveiling the Jagannath scheme, but also ensured its completion on time.

Like with the Rs 800-crore Puri project, which was dedicated to people on January 17, Patnaik has sent his trusted bureaucrat-turned-politician V K Pandian to visit Sambalpur multiple times to oversee its implementation.

Saturday’s inauguration ceremony has been planned with the similar fanfare and enthusiasm as the Puri event, with many BJD leaders likely to throng Sambalpur.

Besides, schools and colleges across Odisha have been told to remain closed on Saturday for the inauguration. All government offices will be anyway shut as it’s the fourth Saturday of the month.

“Religious rituals leading to the inaugural ceremony will start from Friday. A yajna will start before the inaugural event. The redevelopment of the temple and better amenities for devotees will attract more pilgrims to the shrine,” Sambalpur Collector Ananya Das told The Indian Express.

The SAMALEI plan Under the SAMALEI plan, the Patnaik government has developed more than 100 acres around the popular shrine.

The key objectives are to “celebrate the grandeur” of the 500-year-old shrine, “enhance the devotees’ experience”, “boost Sambalpur’s tourism-based economy”, and develop various projects around the temple to “create economic opportunities” for locals, officials said.

“What the Jagannath Temple is for the people of coastal and central Odisha, the Samaleswari Temple carries equal significance for most people in the western region. The state government’s efforts signal that our government believes in inclusivity and nurtures all cultures and traditions,” a senior BJD leader said.

Western Odisha poll matrix According to BJD insiders, the western Odisha poll matrix was very much on Patnaik’s mind when announcing the SAMALEI project. Western Odisha mainly comprises 10 districts, many of which border Chhattisgarh. In the Assembly polls held simultaneously, 8 of the 23 seats the BJP won were in this region. Even the Congress performed well here, winning 4 of its total 9 Assembly seats in Western Odisha.

With the Opposition challenge in mind, Patnaik, for the first time during the 2019 Assembly polls, contested from western Odisha, from Bijepur, as his second seat along with his traditional bastion of Hinjili in Ganjam. He won both the seats and later vacated Bijepur.

Apart from the SAMALEI project, the BJD has also accommodated six MLAs from western Odisha as ministers in the 20-member Patnaik Cabinet, to woo the region.

Last July, in another initiative, Patnaik launched the Mukhya Mantri Sabha Gruha scheme for the region, under which the government plans to build 2,000 kalyan mandaps (ceremonial halls).

In 2021, Patnaik had also doubled the grant to the Western Odisha Development Council, a special body, to Rs 200 crore.

Temple run to continue In the run-up to the 2024 polls, the SAMALEI project isn’t Patnaik’s only temple initiative. While the redevelopment of ancient shrines was an area of focus during Patnaik’s fifth term, it has now lined up dozens of other popular temples across the state for their upgradation. Patnaik’s temple push is also an apparent attempt to counter the BJP’s Hindutva push in Odisha, official sources said.

Under the Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monuments Revival Action (EKAMRA) plan, the government is spending Rs 280 crore for a facelift of around 66 acres surrounding the 11th-century Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar.

For Maharshivaratri on March 8, the government will inaugurate a 183-foot tall statue of Lord Shiva, built at a cost of Rs 10 crore, in the Jajpur district near the Barahanath Temple, as part of the Baraha Khetra development project.

Nearly a dozen other shrines, including the Sun Temple at Konark, Chandi Temple at Cuttack, Nilamadhab Temple at Kantilo, are expected to see upgrades before the 2024 elections.

The government has also sanctioned funds for development of temples in every panchayat. Despite only a small minority population, the government has also sanctioned funds for the development of religious places of other faiths.

“Odisha is known to be land of art and culture, and people’s emotions are attached to ancient shrines. Development of the popular and ancient shrines is a potential way through which one can connect to the people’s emotions and an effort to showcase Odia pride,” a senior bureaucrat said.