The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): Odisha BJP leaders engaged in discussions with Home Minister Amit Shah and the party’s national president J P Nadda in New Delhi on Wednesday. The talks centered around the prospect of forming an alliance with the BJD for both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, which are concurrently held in the state.
Sources familiar with the matter indicated a strong likelihood of an alliance between the BJP and the BJD. However, the final decision rests with the top leadership of the national party and hinges on various factors, primarily the allocation of contested seats.
In the event of an alliance, the BJP is expected to contest a majority of Lok Sabha seats, while the BJD would focus on the assembly seats, sources revealed. Odisha comprises 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 assembly seats. In the previous 2019 elections, the BJD secured 12 Lok Sabha seats and 112 assembly seats, while the BJP won eight parliamentary constituencies and 23 assembly constituencies.
Speculation about a partnership between the two parties has been mounting, given their historical alignment. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have publicly expressed admiration for each other, with recent praise exchanged during Modi’s rally in the state.
The BJD has generally been supportive of the Modi government’s legislative agenda in Parliament.
Additionally, leaders from various states, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, are also meeting with Shah and Nadda.
The BJP’s Central Election Committee, comprising senior leaders including Prime Minister Modi, will convene its second meeting later this week to finalize the party’s candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. As of now, the party has announced candidates for 195 Lok Sabha seats out of the total 543.