Bhubaneswar: Amid weeks of back-and-forth over alliance talks in Odisha, BJP state president Manmohan Samal on Friday confirmed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will go solo and contest all 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of 4.5 crore Odias.
Taking to his X handle, Samal thanked the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for extending issue-based support to the Modi government at the Centre over last 10 years while clearly stating BJP’s differences with the regional party over various issues pertaining to the interest of the people of the state and its pride.
“We have concerns on many issues related to Odisha-identity, Odisha-pride and interest of the people of Odisha. The impoverished people of Odisha are not able to reap the benefits of welfare schemes launched by the Modi government as those are not reaching the grassroots,” he wrote, while possibly suggesting the major impediment in the alliance talks.
Pushing for a double-engine government in Odisha, Samal said that states with BJP government have made significant strides in various areas of development and progress. “We feel that the states that have dual engine governments across the country, make extensive development and accelerate welfare work for poor,” he added.
Earlier speaking to reporters, he said that the sky is clearing up and slowly things too will become certain. “Home Minister Amit Shah has clearly stated everything. There is no room for any further discussion on it. Once the decision is finalised, it will be made public. Have patience, those with patience eventually win,” he said.
On March 20, Shah again fuelled speculation over possible alliance of his party with BJD in Odisha by saying that no decision has been taken yet. “The BJP national president will take a decision on it,” Shah said replying to a question at Rising Bharat Summit, organised by TV channel News18, in New Delhi.
He, however, asserted that the BJP will increase its seats in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha in Odisha irrespective of alliance or not. “It is certain that we will increase our strength in Odisha. The affection that the people of Odisha have for Modiji is accepted by our workers with warmth and humility,” he said.
Shah’s reactions came a day after BJD leader V K Pandian at the same conclave said the alliance talks between the two parties is not because of the political consideration of boosting numbers or making an impact on the electoral map. “Some things are beyond politics. I look at it as an attempt by two popular leaders to come together for a greater cause. This alliance has no electoral value for either BJP or BJP. It is between two individuals who share a great friendship,” he had said.
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Noted political strategist and tactician Prashant Kishor has also predicted a big jump in BJP’s vote share in Odisha. “It is important to understand that their vote share will go up dramatically. In Odisha, they are already number one,” he said while speaking at the Hyderabad Dialogues organised by The New Indian Express.
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The Odisha Bytes on March 15 had reported the likely failure of the BJD-BJP alliance in Odisha with last ditch efforts, involving the top leaders of both parties to stitch an electoral partnership, having almost hit a dead end.
