Delay in Declaration of BJD-BJP Alliance Causes Consternation Among Ticket Aspirants in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The unexpected delay in announcement of the proposed alliance between Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has created a sense of disquiet among the ticket aspirants in both the parties. Both the parties, who until yesterday were baying for each other’s blood, are reportedly in the process of finalisation of seat-sharing process in New Delhi.

Once the seat-sharing deal is finalised, it would seal the fate of nearly one hundred ticket aspirants on both sides.

Sources said the BJD led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik is pressing for 100-plus of the total 147 assembly seats. However, the BJP wants the regional party to contest from less than 100 seats. Similarly, while the BJP is insisting to fight from 14 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, the BJD is not in a mood to concede more than 13 seats, sources added.

BJP state president Manmohan Samal, who has been opposing the alliance bid for quite some time now, is currently camping in New Delhi to hold talks with the party’s central leadership.

Sources said senior leaders of BJP state unit on Tuesday met at the Delhi residence of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan to decide the seat-sharing formula. However, no concrete information was received if a consensus among the state leaders was reached on the seat-sharing exercise formula.

The delay in forging the much talked about alliance has slowed down political activities in BJD and BJP camps. The BJP state headquarters which was bustling with hectic activities with a host of leaders from the BJD and Congress lining up almost on everyday basis to join the saffron camp has been wearing a deserted look for a couple of days now. Similarly, an eerie calmness prevails in the BJD party office as no top leaders are ready to give off indications about the alliance bid.

According to political analysts, in the event of an alliance being forged between the BJD and BJP, both the parties will have to grapple with the rebel elements as nearly one hundred aspirants are going to be deprived of the tickets. Many of them might switch sides with Congress which now left as the only alternative force.

The discussion about a possible alliance between the rival parties gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his last two trips to Odisha, addressed CM Naveen Patnaik as “my best friend’ and ‘most popular CM.’