BJP Not To Forge Alliance With BJD For Next Polls In Odisha, Says Union Minister Arjun Munda

Bhubaneswar: Ruling out any truck between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for the next elections, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda on Sunday said the saffron party would go it alone in Odisha.

The senior BJP leader’s statement came amid speculations about possible alliance between his party and the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD for the next polls. The growing bonhomie between the two parties has become a hot topic for discussion in political circles after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s Odisha visit.

Munda, who was on a visit to Odisha, told reporters in Bhubaneswar that there is no possibility of any alliance between BJP and BJD in the state. The two political parties are not going to forge any alliance now or in the near future, he said.

Stating that BJP will contest the elections on its own without any truck with BJD like in the last polls, the senior tribal leader said the Narendra Modi government sincerely wants to ensure speedy development of all states through combined effort. The Centre wants to work in coordination with all the states, irrespective of the party in power in the provinces, he said.

Maintaining that the work of party organisation is completely different, the BJP leader said the saffron party is in a good position and it will perform well in the next elctions.

Munda’s statement came a day after another BJP leader and Union Environment and Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav also firmly ruled out any truck between the saffron party and BJD.

Speaking in same vein, BJD MP Munna Khan also stated that there is no question of the regional party forging alliance with BJP for the next elections. BJD has been contesting elections alone since 2009 and it will continue to do so, he added.