The reported alliance between Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has encountered a hurdle. Discussions regarding seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha and state assembly elections have hit a snag. Talks held in Delhi faced obstacles as both parties disagreed over two seats – Puri and Bhubaneshwar. Puri is currently held by BJD, while Bhubaneshwar has been a stronghold for BJP.
Manmohan Samal, BJP state president, returned to Bhubaneswar and hinted that the saffron party may field candidates in all 147 assembly and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha. According to news agency PTI, discussions in Delhi were solely focused on election preparations, without any mention of an alliance or seat-sharing arrangement.
\”There was no discussion about an alliance, and we (BJP) will contest the elections independently,\” said Samal. He clarified that the talks in Delhi were centered around preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state, with no mention of forming an alliance or sharing seats with any party.
BJD president and CM Naveen Patnaik’s aides, V K Pandian and Pranab Prakash Das, returned to Bhubaneswar after talks with BJP leadership in New Delhi. After 15 years, BJP-BJD were exploring a possible alliance, having separated before the 2009 general elections. BJD has been in power in Odisha for the past 24 years, sending 21 members to the Lower House.
In the 2014 assembly elections, BJD secured a dominant position with 117 out of 147 seats, while BJP won 10 and Congress 16. In 2019, a change in voting patterns was evident, with BJD winning 112 assembly seats, BJP 23, and Congress nine.
Earlier reports suggested an agreement where BJP would contest 14 Lok Sabha seats and BJD 7. In the 147-member assembly, BJD is likely to compete in 100 seats and BJP in 47.
