Bhubaneswar: With the possibility of a pre-poll alliance between the BJP and the BJD still lingering, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal Thursday asserted that his party will form the next government in the state “on its own”.
Samal, who along with senior state BJP leaders held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi Wednesday night on the possibility of the alliance, did not make any reference to such a prospect.
“BJP will form the government in the state alone with the blessings and cooperation of people,” he told reporters after returning from the national capital in the morning.
Notably, the state BJP leaders were called to Delhi Sunday evening and since then they had been holding discussions at Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s official residence. They were called for a meeting at Shah’s residence Wednesday, a source said.
All eyes on BJD
On the other hand, leaders of the BJD were also set to hold a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the afternoon over the alliance issue.
The BJD, which had March 6, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Odisha, held a meeting of its senior party leaders, decided to go for another round of discussions on the matter as no news was coming from the BJP side, a senior BJD leader privy to the development said on condition of anonymity.
The BJD, in its March 6 meeting, had resolved for “anything” (including alliance) for the larger interest of the state, he said.
“The proposal for an alliance had come from the BJP, and the BJD leaders discussed it at Naveen Niwas, Patnaik’s residence,” he said.
A day after the Naveen Niwas meeting, Patnaik’s close aide Kartik Pandian and BJD’s organising secretary Pranab Prakash Das had rushed to Delhi and informed the top BJP leaders about the regional party’s views on the possible alliance.
However, the BJD was yet to get any response from the top BJP leaders.
“Thursday’s meeting may discuss the changing political situation in the state in wake of the possible alliance,” the leader said.
Simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the assembly will be held in Odisha.
PNN & Agencies
