Bhubaneswar: Amid confusion over BJP-BJD alliance talks for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha, senior saffron leader and former Minister K V Singhdeo on Monday said that a final decision on the issue will be taken by the central leadership of the party.
Singhdeo’s statement sparked fresh speculations regarding possible electoral tie-up between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) as some leaders of the saffron party have ruled out any alliance with the regional outfit in Odisha.
His statement came at a time when 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, are in New Delhi to meet their national leaders.
While Samal, Tomar and Usendi have told journalists that alliance issue is not going to be discussed in Delhi and that the party will go it solo in Odisha, Singhdeo said that the state unit is now waiting for a clear message from the central leadership.
“We are all waiting for a clear signal from Delhi. It will not be appropriate to say anything unless we gat a message from the top leaders of the party in the national capital since BJP is a national party,” said the former state BJP president.
Stating that BJP is a national party, he said all decisions relating to list of candidates and other such issues will be taken by the parliamentary board. “The battle is not over till the last bullet is fired,” he said.
On the other hand, BJD is a regional party and its decisions are always taken within the state.
Stressing that there should not be any confusion over alliance, Singhdeo said that the state BJP president and other senior leaders have gone to Delhi after getting a call from the central leadership and all should wait for them to return.
He said BJP is a disciplined party and its workers and leaders will always abide by the decision of the party keeping the interest of the country in mind.
