BJP-BJD Coalition Talks Collapse, Both Parties Intensify Poll Preparation
After battle lines were drawn following the announcement that there would be no alliance between the BJP and BJD in Odisha, both parties have intensified their preparations for the 2024 elections.
On Sunday, BJP state unit president Manmohan Samal said the party had made a blueprint to give a reality check to the ruling BJD in the twin Lok Sabha and assembly elections and nobody can stop it from forming the government in the state this time.
“We have apprised every details about our planning to the top leaders of our party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Party President JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah, and convinced them that the state unit was capable enough to remove the 24-year-old BJD government this time,” Samal told reporters upon his arrival here from New Delhi.
On Saturday evening, the BJP conducted a crucial meeting of its Central Election Committee (CEC) in Delhi. Samal said the CEC took stock of the poll preparation of Odisha state unit.
“Let me reiterate that we have decided to contest from 147 assembly and Lok Sabha seats. You will get to see surprising results this time,” said the BJP state president.
In 2019, the BJP had bagged 8 Lok Sabha and 23 assembly seats. Though it bagged 38 per cent votes in Lok Sabha polls, it managed to get only 32 per cent votes in assembly elections.
At the CEC meeting, discussions were held to finalise the names of candidates from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, sources said.
Reliable sources in the BJP said Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan is likely to contest from Sambalpur while party national spokespersons Sambit Patra and Aparajita Sarangi will fight from Puri and Bhubaneswar, respectively.
Sources in the BJD said party’s general secretary (organisation) Pranab Prakash Das will contest from Sambalpur to give a strong fight to Dharmendra Pradhan. Similarly, former Mumbai police commissioner Arup Patnaik is most likely to be fielded against Sambit Patra in Puri. It was not yet known as to who would fight against BJP’s firebrand leader Aparajita Sarangi in Bhubaneswar.
