The BJP, on Friday, clarified that it will fight the upcoming assembly elections and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha alone. The statement from the party comes amid speculations of a possible tie-up between Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the BJP.
Taking to Twitter, state party president Manmohan Samal said the saffron party will fight alone in all 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly seats in Odisha.
He claimed that although BJD has been supporting the BJP government at the Centre for the past 10 years, there have been instances of welfare schemes of the Modi government not reaching the beneficiaries in the state. Further, he claimed that the saffron party is concerned about various issues related to the state.
Observing that experience has shown that wherever there has been a double engine government, development and welfare of the poor have been accelerated, he said to fulfill the hopes, wishes, and aspirations of 4.5 crore people of Odisha, the BJP will contest in all the assembly and Lok Sabha seats alone. He also thanked the BJD for supporting the BJP at the Centre for the past 10 years.
In the past fortnight, state BJP leaders made at least three rushed trips to Delhi to convince the central leadership that an alliance with the BJD would be “suicidal” for the party. A source said: “They argued that the BJP could emerge as the No. 1 political force in the state as Patnaik is ailing. Many BJD leaders too are keen to join the BJP.”
A BJP source said that the failure to reach an alliance apart, there would not be any effect on ties with the BJD “as long as Naveen babu is there”. BJP sources claimed that Patnaik was also intrinsically averse to an alliance himself, to retain his position as a strong regional leader.
