BJP To Contest Next Elections Alone & Form Govt In Odisha, Says Union Minister

Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP leader and Union Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday made it clear that the saffron party will fight the next general elections on its own with any alliance in Odisha.

The Union Minister, who was in Bhubaneswar to attend an event, also claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will also secure the required number of seats in the state Assembly to form the government in Odisha.

Firmly ruling out any alliance between the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Yadav said the BJP will fight the next elections alone in Odisha without entering into electoral alliance. “We will also be able to form the government on our own,” he said.

The Minister’s statement assumes significance as it comes amid talks of growing bonhomie between the BJP and the BJD. During his recent visit to Odisha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had not only shared dais with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik but also heaped praises on the state government, Naveen too praised the BJP-led government at the Centre for supporting Odisha.

BJD also supported the Delhi Service Bill and opposed the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition parties against Narendra Modi government. In Parliament, BJD MPs expressed gratitude towards the Modi government for its support to Odisha.

Speaking in same vein, state BJP president Manmohan Samal said the party will go it alone in all the 147 Assembly seats and 21 Lok Sabha seats in the next election in Odisha.

Even if the elections are advanced, the BJP is ready to fight as the party enjoys the support of the people, he said, adding that an internal survey showed that BJP will surprise everybody in the next election by its performance.