Why is Naveen Patnaik's BJD 'Forging Alliance' with BJP After 15 Years?

‘Rising Odisha’ seems to be the central idea of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ‘forging an alliance’ with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Sources told News18 that Naveen Patanaik’s party needs funds for various projects in Odisha and “double engine government will help the state”.

During a recent event at at Chandikhole in Jajpur district, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the previous governments had never shown interest in the timely completion of projects, adding that those projects that remained stuck in the previous governments’ time were completed during the tenure of the BJP-led Centre in the past 10 years.

Although there was no formal announcement regarding a pre-poll alliance between the two parties, the BJD leaders held a marathon meeting at Naveen Niwas, the residence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

The BJP leaders had a similar meeting in the national capital, discussing election matters, including a potential alliance.

After over three hours of discussion, BJD vice-president and MLA Debi Prasad Mishra acknowledged discussions about a possible alliance with the BJP but did not explicitly confirm its formation.

“Biju Janata Dal will prioritise the greater interests of the people of Odisha. Yes, there were discussions on the issue (alliance),” Mishra told reporters.

Claiming that Odisha had progressed significantly under Naveen Patnaik’s leadership, Mishra emphasised the need to take the state’s development to the next level.

In a press release issued by Mishra and BJD’s senior general secretary Arun Kumar Sahoo, it was stated, “An extensive discussion was held under the leadership of BJD president and CM Naveen Patnaik with the senior leaders of the party today regarding the strategy of the upcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.”

Meanwhile, after a meeting presided over by BJP president JP Nadda in Delhi, senior BJP leader and MP Jual Oram admitted to discussions on a pre-poll alliance with the BJD. However, he said the party’s central leadership would make the final decision on the matter.

“Yes, there were discussions on the alliance among other issues. The party’s central leadership will make the final call,” Oram, who personally opposed the alliance, said.

Top leaders of the state including Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, attended the core committee meeting chaired by Nadda.

Both parties had previously rejected media reports about a potential pre-poll alliance on February 29.

BJD national spokesperson Sambit Patra and BJP’s Odisha election in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar had dismissed the reports as rumours.

BJD general secretary Arun Kumar Sahoo told a news channel: “BJD always thinks in the interest of people of Odisha and as a whole for the state of Odisha. For the interest of the people and the state, BJD will take steps.”

On Wednesday, several BJD and Congress leaders joined BJP in presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Reacting to the speculations, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “We’ve always been saying that the BJD and the BJP are two sides of the same coin. The BJD has always supported the BJP in Parliament and whatever opposition the two show to each other in the state is merely shadow boxing. The cat appears to be emerging out of the bag.”

(With inputs from PTI)