Ruling BJD in Odisha likely to forge electoral alliance with BJP in Assembly & LS elections

Bhubaneswar, Mar 6 (Bureau) Political speculations are rife over the possible electoral alliance between the ruling BJD and the BJP in Odisha in the ensuing Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state. Hectic discussions are underway both at Bhubaneswar and New Delhi separately by the leaders of BJD and BJP respectively. In Bhubaneswar, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik held two rounds of discussions with the party leaders during the day while the central BJP leaders are holding discussions with the state BJP leaders in New Delhi over the possible alliance with the BJD in Odisha. However, both the BJD and BJP leaders are tightlipped over the outcome of the discussions on possible alliance between the two parties. BJD leaders Debi Prasad Mishra and Arun Sahu, both former ministers and senior party leaders who attended the meeting in Naveen Niwas told the waiting newsmen that the party will take a decision keeping the interest of the state and its people as Odisha, they said after 12 years will be completing 100 years of the formation of special state.

They however refused to divulge whether the BJD will go for an electoral alliance with the BJP in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state but said whatever decisions will be taken keeping the interest of the state. In the recent elections to Rajya Sabha from the state ,the ruling BJD had supported the candidature of Union Railways Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw who had filed his nomination as BJP candidate. Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik had announced that the party has decided to support the candidature of vaishnaw keeping the interest of state for development of Railways and Telecom sectors.

In New Delhi, former Union Minister and BJP MP Juel Oram told newsmen that “we have told the central leaders that BJP is ready to go to the poll alone in the ensuing general elections in Odisha but said the central party leaders would take a final call in this regard. The BJD had an electoral alliance with the BJP in Odisha for eleven years from 1998 to 2009 and contested the 1999 and 2004 Assembly elections on a seat sharing of 84:63 in Assembly and 12:9 Lok sabha seats respectively and formed the government in the state also. However, prior to the 2009 Assembly elections, the ruling BJD snapped the ties with the BJP and decided to go alone in the subsequent three elections -2009, 2014 and 2019 and won all the three elections with absolute majority.