Ranchi, 24 October (H.S.): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin arrived in Ranchi on Saturday to attend the party’s two-day Jharkhand State Executive Committee meeting. Senior party leaders and workers welcomed him in a traditional manner at the Haveli Banquet Hall on Ring Road, where Nabin himself played the mandar, a traditional tribal drum, to encourage the performers.

At the main entrance of the venue, tribal artists dressed in traditional attire performed to the rhythmic beats of drums and mandars. Impressed by their performance, Nabin joined in by hanging a mandar around his neck and playing the instrument, drawing attention from those present.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, state BJP president Aditya Sahu, Ranchi MLA C. P. Singh and Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal were among the senior leaders present on the occasion.

State BJP president Aditya Sahu, former chief minister Babulal Marandi, state general secretary Amar Bauri and other party office-bearers were also accorded a traditional welcome upon their arrival. Women’s wing workers applied sandalwood tilak to the leaders’ foreheads, showered them with flower petals and performed aarti. The leaders were also presented with traditional scarves bearing the word ‘Johar’, a customary greeting associated with the region.

According to the scheduled programme, Nabin is first holding a meeting with all district presidents and district in-charges. The main session of the State Executive Committee meeting will follow. The deliberations are expected to focus on the party’s organisational activities and its future strategy in Jharkhand.

The venue has been decorated with large posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and state president Aditya Sahu. Registration arrangements have been made for leaders and office-bearers attending the meeting, with traditional scarves being presented to guests at the entrance as part of the welcome ceremony.

Meanwhile, state BJP general secretary Amar Bauri criticised the state government, alleging that people were dissatisfied with its functioning. He said the State Executive Committee meeting would deliberate on several important decisions aimed at providing better leadership to the state and safeguarding democracy.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar