Bhubaneswar: With a fall in the vote share of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government following the recent Assembly elections in five states, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is expected to play a crucial role in the upcoming Presidential elections in July.
The Modi government is now at least 1.2 per cent (roughly 13,000 votes) away from the majority mark for its candidate to sail through due to BJP’s reduced majority in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand legislative assemblies.
In UP, BJP won 312 seats in 2017. It had the support of 12 MLAs of Apna Dal. In 2022, BJP bagged 255 seats. It has the support of another six MLAs belonging to Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) and 12 of Apna Dal. This totals to 273
Similarly, the BJP’s seats in Uttarakhand has come down to 47 from 56 in July 2021.
The BJD with 112 MLAs and 12 MPs has about 3 per cent of the total vote value of about 1,093,347.
Besides BJD, the support of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) with around 2 per cent is likely to play a crucial to fill the gap.
The tenure of President Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 24.
Notably, The Naveen Patnaik-led government in Odisha had extended support to BJP’s presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind in 2017, leading to talks about a tacit understanding between the parties that are rivals in the state. Naveen had then said: “As you all know, last time when the Presidential elections happened, BJD had proposed the name of PA Sangma, an eminent leader from the tribal community. Based on the request of BJD, many parties including the BJP had supported his nomination.”
“Against this backdrop and the fact that Mr Kovind is an eminent lawyer belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, after discussing with the senior party leaders, BJD had decided to support his candidature,” he added.
