Alliance Suspense Continues In Odisha: BJD Remains Tight-Lipped After Senior Leaders’ Meet

Bhubaneswar: The possible pre-poll alliance between BJD and BJP continued to hang in balance on Thursday with both parties remaining non-committal even after high-level meetings on Thursday.

State president of BJP air-dashed to New Delhi to attend a meeting of party’s top brass later in the evening after stating in the morning on arrival from national capital that the saffron party will go solo in the upcoming polls and form the government in Odisha.

The senior leaders of ruling BJD also held a closed door meeting at Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar in the evening. Speaking to the media after the meeting, party leader Debi Mishra said district observers were called for the meeting and they presented their reports on their plans for the twin elections in the state.

Despite persistent queries about the talks on the alliance with BJP, Mishra did not reveal anything.

Earlier in the day, BJD national spokesperson Santrupt Misra said the party leadership will inform the media on the alliance with BJP whenever the time is appropriate.

This was the second meeting of BJD leaders in the chief minister’s official residence after the talks on the possible alliance started making the rounds. They had met for over 3 hours on March 6, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Odisha.

Mishra had then acknowledged discussions about a possible alliance with the BJP and said that the party will “prioritise the greater interests of the people of Odisha”.

Also Read: BJP, BJD Toughen Stand As Odisha ‘Alliance’ On The Rocks: All Eyes On PM Narendra Modi