The BJP's state unit chief announced on Friday that the party will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha independently, ending speculation about a potential alliance with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Taking to X, State Chief Manmohan Samal said, "To fulfill the hopes, wishes and aspirations of 4.5 crore people of Odisha, under the visionary leadership of the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, to make a developed India and developed Odisha, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win all the 21 seats of the Lok Sabha and all the 147 seats of the Legislative Assembly.”
विगत 10 वर्षों से, श्री नवीन पटनायक जी के नेतृत्व में ओडिशा की बीजू जनता दल (बीजेडी) पार्टी केंद्र की माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेंद्र मोदी जी की सरकार के अनेक राष्ट्रीय महत्व के प्रसंगों में समर्थन देती आई है, इसके लिए हम उनका आभार व्यक्त करते हैं।
अनुभव में आया है कि देशभर…— Manmohan Samal (Modi Ka Parivar) (@SamalManmohan7) March 22, 2024
In a Statement in Hindi, he said,“Will contest the seats alone, to create a developed India and a developed Odisha under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to fulfil the hopes, aspirations and aspirations of four and a half crore Odiyas."
"Many welfare schemes of the Modi government are not reaching the ground in Odisha, due to which the poor sisters and brothers of Odisha are not getting their benefits. We have concerns on many issues related to Odisha-identity, Odisha-pride and interest of the people of Odisha," he added.
Expressing gratitude, Samal acknowledged BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the support his party provided to the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over the past decade. He emphasised the potential advantages of 'dual engine governments' in states nationwide, suggesting that they enable holistic development and accelerate welfare programs for the underprivileged.
But Why didn't the Alliance worked out?
Initially, The talks about an alliance between the two parties had started after Prime Minister Narendra Modi refrained from attacking the BJD government during his two recent visits to Odisha (February 3 and March 5). Modi had also addressed Patnaik as the “popular Chief Minister” at his second meeting.
However, as per Media sources, alliance talks broke down because the BJD agreed to give the BJP two-thirds of the Lok Sabha seats, but refused to give them more than one-fourth of the Assembly seats. The BJD contended that since the two parties' coalition collapsed before the 2009 elections, they had been gaining more than three-fourths of Assembly seats in the previous three elections.
Photo: Swarajya
Additionally, the regional party had won both the State's Zilla Parishad and urban local body elections. Through one-on-one consultations with Chief Minister and party president Naveen Patnaik, the BJD had been actively advancing its election readiness for each Lok Sabha constituency throughout the course of the previous few weeks of alliance discussions.
This decision follows ongoing discussions about a possible BJD-BJP alliance. Earlier this week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah mentioned that BJP national president J P Nadda would decide on any alliance with the BJD.
Between 1998 and 2009, the BJP and BJD were allies, contesting three Lok Sabha and two Assembly elections together.
Odisha will vote for its 21 Lok Sabha seats and a 147-member assembly, simultaneously, in four phases, beginning May 13. Currently, the BJP presently has eight Lok Sabha MPs from Odisha and 23 MLAs in the Assembly. Meanwhile, the ruling BJD has 112 MLAs and 12 Lok Sabha MPs in the state.
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