All Eyes On BJP As Odisha Alliance Decision Remains In The Works

Bhubaneswar: The possibility of an alliance, involving the BJP and the BJD, seemed on the radar as the second meeting of BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC), which stretched late into Monday night, reportedly did not discuss any candidate from Odisha.

BJP sources said the names of candidates for 99 seats in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Chandigarh were only discussed at the meeting, thereby hinting that there still lacks clarity on Odisha amid talks of a possible coalition with the Naveen Patnaik-led outfit.

On March 2, the BJP announced its first list of 195 candidates, which had no candidate for Odisha. Ever since the two parties have been indicating the chances of a pre-poll pact in the eastern state, with both sides engaged in behind-the-scenes negotiations.

The state BJP leaders, who have been meeting at Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s official residence in New Delhi for the last two days, are believed to have been advised by their party top brass to weigh the pros and cons at the earliest. “The BJP top leadership will thereafter take the final call. The party honchos want to take a decision before a meeting of NDA members slated for March 14,” a party source said.

The state BJP leaders are said to be studying surveys done by the party through different agencies to make up their minds on the alliance. “Unless we get more than what the latest surveys indicate, why should we go for an alliance with the BJD?” asked a BJP leader, requesting anonymity.

The BJP, sources said, is confident of nearly doubling its tally from Odisha in Lok Sabha and Assembly in Elections 2024. In 2019, it won 8 MP and 23 MLA seats. The BJD is said to have offered 13 Lok Sabha and 42 Vidhan Sabha seats, but the BJP wants 14 LS and between 49 and 56 VS constituencies.

Though the state BJP leaders have in recent days told journalists that alliance talks are not being held, the party central leaders are reportedly in regular touch with the BJD top leadership. Dharmendra is believed to have been tasked by the BJP top brass to instil clarity in the minds of the state leaders. Monday’s meeting of Odisha Governor Raghubar Das with Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi has also added masala to what kind of alliance broth is boiling with speculation rife that the two might have discussed the Odisha affairs.

BJP sources said the party leaders are doing a thorough analysis of each Assembly segment under the 21 Parliamentary constituencies in Odisha, vote share of BJP in 2019 general elections and subsequent panchayat and zilla parishad polls, current organisational position and poll issues in Odisha, probable candidates and their winnability. State BJP president Manmohan Samal and general secretary (organisation) Manas Mohanty are said to have taken a list of at least three probable candidates for each Assembly and Lok Sabha seat.

Sources attributed the delay in arriving at a decision on the alliance to certain Odisha BJP leaders who are unwilling to shoulder the burden of anti-incumbency accrued from 24 years of BJD rule. An alliance will also halt its efforts to nail down the Naveen-led party and avenge the 2009 embarrassing break-up when it was dumped by the BJD. Adverse reactions from the grassroots have also led to a stalemate over seat-sharing talks.

While the BJD has been keeping mum over the development, the recent statement of Samal, as well as election co-in charges Vijaypal Singh Tomar and Lata Usendi, that an alliance in Odisha is not on the table, was viewed as time buying tactics to pacify those resenting it.