BJP’s Central Election Committee To Meet Today; Is Alliance Talks With BJD In Odisha On Itinerary?

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be holding its poll committee meeting at its headquarters in the national capital on Monday evening to discuss and finalise candidates for some more Lok Sabha seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP’s national president JP Nadda, home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, BJP’s organisation general secretary BL Santosh, chief ministers, state presidents, in-charges, co-incharges, and election in-charges of various states are expected to attend the meeting.

National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) partners from Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Bihar are also likely to discuss seat sharing with the BJP’s top leadership, according to news agency ANI.

While alliance talks are in a fluid state in Odisha, the sudden departure of a BJP delegation, including its state president Manmohan Samal, general secretary (organisation) Manas Mohanty, state election in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, election co-incharge Lata Usendi and party national spokesperson Sambit Patra, to the national capital last evening lent credence to speculation that both parties are trying hard to hammer out a deal for 2024 elections.

Also Read: BJD, BJP Walk Tightrope As Alliance Talks Hit Seat-Sharing Roadblock

While Samal, Tomar and Usendi told journalists that an alliance in Odisha is not on the table, the frequent summoning of the state leaders to the national capital for discussion about electoral strategy is far from convincing.

Notably, no names from Odisha had featured in BJP’s first list, comprising 195 candidates from 16 states, for the Lok Sabha elections released on March 2.

Following the electoral agreement with Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP top bosses are reportedly keen to have BJD back in the NDA fold. Speculation is also rife that Naveen might go to New Delhi soon if required to seal the deal. “If the pact is agreed upon, Union Home Minister Amit Shah (BJP) might make a trip to Odisha,” a source told Odisha Bytes.

Sources added that efforts are on to find a middle ground amid disagreement over both Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats. The BJP is likely to contest 13 Lok Sabha and 47 Assembly seats in Odisha with 8 Lok Sabha and 100 Assembly seats falling in BJD’s kitty, according to the latest seat-sharing figures.

Odisha has 21 Parliamentary and 147 Assembly segments. The BJD had won 112 Assembly and 12 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.