In Bhubaneswar, the fortnight-long negotiations regarding the potential pre-electoral coalition between the reigning BJD and the opposition BJP in Odisha have fractured, with both factions independently declaring intentions to pursue individual paths in the imminent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The discussions concerning forging an alliance between the two entities commenced on March 6, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the state, persisting until the night of Thursday.
Manmohan Samal, the president of BJP’s state division, who returned from Delhi late on Thursday subsequent to discussions with central authorities, proclaimed on X that the party will independently contest the elections.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shall contend this electoral battle unaccompanied across all 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly constituencies, aiming to foster an advanced India and an advanced Odisha under the insightful stewardship of the esteemed Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in pursuit of realizing the hopes, ambitions, and dreams of four and a half crore Odiyas,” Samal articulated in a communication.
Scarcely two hours post Samal’s declaration, Pranab Prakash Das, the general secretary (Organisation) of BJD, similarly took to X and declared his party’s resolve to field candidates across all 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly segments. “With the blessings of Lord Jagannath and the trust of Odisha’s populace, BJD has been diligently serving the state, orchestrating a transformation in every sector hitherto unparalleled,” Das asserted in a social media missive.
Odisha is slated for concurrent polls for the Lok Sabha and Assembly across four phases – on May 13, 20, 25, and June 1. The BJP state brass were summoned to Delhi on multiple occasions for deliberations concerning the advantages and drawbacks of a prospective coalition.
Sources indicate that Odisha BJP president and Members of Parliament such as Jual Oram, Pratap Sarangi, and Aparajita Sarangi were averse to any collaboration with BJD, which severed ties with the saffron party prior to the 2009 general elections, following communal unrest in Kandhamal the preceding year. BJD and BJP were erstwhile allies for an 11-year span between 1998 and 2009, contending three Lok Sabha and two Assembly elections in unison.
Subsequent to the decision to chart independent courses, jubilation ensued at the BJP state headquarters, where party loyalists reveled in dance, fireworks, and distribution of confections. Bhubaneswar’s Member of Parliament Aparajita Sarangi expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president JP Nadda for the resolve.
“The BJD extended an offer for alliance which we declined,” she remarked. In his communication on X, Samal also expressed appreciation towards BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his party’s backing of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over the past decade on various fronts. Justifying the party’s stance, Samal asserted, “We opine that states governed by dual engines witness extensive developmental initiatives and expedited welfare programs for the underprivileged.”
Additionally, the BJP state head contended that numerous welfare schemes of the Modi administration fail to percolate down to the grassroots level, depriving the impoverished denizens of Odisha of their benefits. BJD luminary Das asserted that the party anticipates securing over three-fourths of the seats in both the Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly.
