Bhubaneswar: While the buzz-to-reality of the BJD and BJP alliance in Odisha is imminent, a hitch in seat-sharing arrangements between the two parties, especially for certain Lok Sabha seats, seems have delayed its announcement.
Keen on keeping its dominance and strength in the Odisha Assembly, the BJD is seeking to contest from all 112 seats, which it won in 2019 elections, leaving the remaining 35 for the BJP, which has instead been pushing for 48 seats. The saffron party is also demanding 14 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state but the BJD is ready to concede only 10, sources said.
Sources further said that six Lok Sabha seats, including Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Koraput, Bhubaneswar, Nabarangpur and Kendrapada, have become a source of contention. The BJP is keen to retain at least seven of the eight seats, which it won in 2019. The saffron party has MPs from Sundargarh, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Balangir and Bhubaneswar.
The BJD, on its part, is keen on Cuttack, Aska, Berhampur, Kendrapada, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, and Bhubaneswar seats with an aim to retain its stronghold in these constituencies.
Since the state BJP president Manmohan Samal belongs to Bhadrak and had played a key role in ensuring the party’s victory in the high-octane Dhamnagar byelection in November 2022 while putting an end to BJD’s dream run in bypolls since 2019, the party is keen to keep the seat, sources said.
Samal was elected to the assembly from Dhamnagar seat in Bhadrak district in 2004 and subsequently became a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government.
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If Bhadrak falls into BJP’s kitty then the BJD would be keen on Balasore to mark its presence in the northern belt of the state. The BJP also wants to retain Mayurbhanj, which is currently represented by Union minister Bisheswar Tudu.
The same goes for Dhenkanal. While the BJP is likely to field Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from Sambalpur, the BJP leader is keen on having an influence in Angul-Dhenkanal region to which he belongs. The seat is currently represented by BJD’s Mahesh Sahu, who is said not to enjoy the best of terms with Dharmendra, and the regional party has good organisational base in the two districts.
Similarly, Kendrapada has reportedly become a subject of tussle as BJD wants to retain it while BJP’s Baijayant Panda is an aspirant. The BJD also wants Bhubaneswar, which is currently represented by BJP’s Aparajita Sarangi.
While Koraput went to Congress in 2019, BJD wants to bag it on the ground that BJP lacks strong organisation there. In exchange, the saffron party is pressing hard for Nabarangpur, currently represented by BJD’s Ramesh Majhi.
The BJP is reportedly bargaining for the seats under the plea of anti-incumbency factor since the BJD has been in power in the state for last 24 years.
The BJD and the BJP were earlier in alliance for around 11 years and fought three Lok Sabha and two Vidhan Sabha elections between 1998 and 2009. In 1998 when the Janata Dal was split, Naveen formed his own party and joined the Vajpayee-led BJP government, as Union Minister for Steel and Mines. The two fought Assembly polls together for the first time in 2000. Earlier, the seat sharing ratio between BJD and BJP was 4:3. While BJD contested 84 Assembly and 12 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP fought in 63 Assembly and 9 Lok Sabha seats.
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The political dynamics has changed since then and the BJP is keen on having regional parties in its fold to achieve the 400 plus seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It also needs to contest more seats in Lok Sabha to be able to reach the 370 plus target it has set for itself.
