The Odisha BJP has announced that it will go solo in the upcoming assembly and Lok Sabha elections, signaling an end to its alliance talks with the ruling BJD. The decision comes after discussions between the two parties reportedly failed to yield any agreement on seat-sharing.
State BJP president Manmohan Samal, returning from Delhi where he held discussions with central leaders, clarified that no talks regarding alliance or seat-sharing took place during the meeting. Asserting the party’s readiness to contest and win elections on its own strength, Samal emphasized the BJP’s commitment to pursuing its electoral goals independently.
Meanwhile, leaders from the BJD, including VK Pandian and Pranab Prakash Das, also returned to Bhubaneswar following their visit to Delhi. However, they remained tight-lipped about the status of the alliance talks.
Reports suggest that while discussions initially indicated a potential alliance agreement, both parties are now at odds over the distribution of seats. The BJD is said to have demanded a significant portion of the assembly seats, a proposition deemed unacceptable by the BJP. Conversely, the BJP’s demand for a larger share of Lok Sabha seats has been met with resistance from the BJD.
The history between Naveen Patnaik-led BJD and the BJP dates back to their alliance between 1998 and 2009, during which Patnaik also served as the minister of steel and mines in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. However, with the current impasse in seat-sharing negotiations, both parties seem poised to contest the upcoming elections independently, marking a significant shift in their political dynamics.
As Odisha braces for the electoral battle ahead, the decision by the BJP to go solo underscores its determination to chart its own course in the state’s political landscape. With the alliance talks hitting a roadblock, the stage is set for a fiercely contested electoral showdown between the BJP and the BJD in the upcoming polls.
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