President pick: Naveen Patnaik in catch-22 situation
In 1998, the BJD and BJP had entered into an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls to defeat the Congress.
Bhubaneswar: An a “natural ally” of the BJP in the past, the regional Biju Janata Dal (BJD) — headed by Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik — is now in a Catch-22 situation whether or not to support the saffron party in the Presidential elections. Bracketed by BJP in the same category as Trinamul Congress and Janata Dal as its immediate target enemies, the BJD is in fact in dilemma if it would be wise to go with the NDA sponsored candidate or UPA supported nominee.
The BJD, ever since its formation in 1997, has been a staunch rival of the Congress that ruled the state for three decades after the Independence. In 1998, the BJD and BJP had entered into an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls to defeat the Congress. The alliance continued in 2000 Assembly elections and both the parties successfully voted the Congress out of power in the state and formed the coalition government. However, things went astray in 2009 when the regional party, having been doubly sure about its strengthened base at the grassroots, kicked the BJP out of the alliance dubbing it “communal.”