The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has officially declared that it will not form a pre-poll alliance with the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This decision solidifies earlier speculation about the two parties not joining forces. Despite discussions between the two parties in early March, hopes of a coalition were dashed when negotiations failed to materialize.
Initially, talks between the BJP and BJD had sparked optimism about a potential alliance, marking a possible reunion after 15 years since the BJD’s departure from the National Democratic Alliance in 2009. Over the past decade, the two parties have largely cooperated in Parliament.
However, on March 22, BJP’s Odisha chief Manmohan Samal announced that the party would contest alone in all constituencies. This decision came after days of negotiations. Hours later, BJD’s organizational secretary Pranab Prakash Das declared that the regional party would also contest all seats, expressing confidence in winning a significant majority under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s leadership.
The BJP has now unveiled candidates for 18 out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha. Notable nominations include Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for the prestigious Sambalpur seat and the renomination of national vice-president Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda from Kendrapara. Additionally, the party named candidates for crucial constituencies such as Bhubaneswar and Puri, which were points of contention during alliance discussions.
In response, BJD’s Pranab Das stated that his party would soon announce candidates for all constituencies, expressing confidence in securing a significant victory. The party is yet to finalize candidates for Kandhamal, Cuttack, and Jajpur Lok Sabha seats, which will go to polls in subsequent phases.
Negotiations between the BJP and BJD were reportedly close to a seat-sharing agreement, with the BJP initially set to receive 47 assembly seats and the BJD 100. However, disagreements arose over the number of assembly seats the BJP should contest and the BJP’s refusal to provide assurances regarding the future leadership in a post-Patnaik scenario.
With assembly and Lok Sabha polls scheduled simultaneously in Odisha, the state will vote in four phases from May 13 to June 1. The BJP’s decision to go solo sets the stage for a keenly contested electoral battle in the eastern state.
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