Bhubaneswar: The NDA government has sought the support of BJD in Odisha for its Vice-President candidate CP Radhakrishnan.
According to sources, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who has been put in charge of outreach and consensus building, picked up the phone to call BJD president Naveen Patnaik, who is recovering from dehydration at a private hospital here, on Monday.
Singh also spoke to Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi and DMK’s MK Stalin for a consensus. He also called up former Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy whose YSRCP, with 11 MPs, has pledged to back the NDA candidate. He is said to have also reached out to Mamata Banerjee.
While the BJP-led NDA has 134 members, including 5 nominated MPs, against the majority mark of 123, these calls are seen as a part of its strategy to avoid a contested election.
The opposition INDIA bloc is likely to announce its candidate for Vice-Presidential election on Tuesday. A senior scientist from Tamil Nadu and a Dalit intellectual figured in their Monday discussion, sources said.
The BJD Dilemma
The BJD had nine members in Rajya Sabha but its number dropped to seven after two MPs – Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar – resigned from the Upper House and switched sides to BJP last year.
Interestingly, the regional party had previously backed NDA candidates and also bailed out the Narendra Modi government in several contentious issues in the last 10 years while opposing the BJP in the state in a calibrated manner. However, it has shifted its stance, projecting itself as a “vibrant and strong” opposition in the Upper House of Parliament, after losing power to the BJP in the state and failing to win any Lok Sabha seats in 2024.
Earlier this month, former BJD MP Mahesh Sahu had categorically ruled out extending support to the NDA-backed candidate in the upcoming Vice Presidential election. “We had supported the NDA’s Presidential candidate as she hailed from Odisha. The situation is entirely different now, and we will oppose the NDA candidate in totality,” he said.
His statement assumed significance since the Conch party earlier this year saw its first major intra-party dissension since its defeat in the 2024 state elections following a shift in its stance during the voting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha. Its unclear stand after initially opposing the Bill brought to the fore discontent and exposed fissures in the party.
Supporting the NDA candidate would prove detrimental for it in state politics where the BJP is in power. It will prove to be an albatross around its neck, having been in the past dubbed as an unofficial ally of the Modi government at the Centre.
The predicament here is that supporting the Congress-led INDIA alliance candidate won’t do any good either.
These developments may also have an impact on the upcoming students’ polls and panchayat and municipal elections in 2017 in the state. The BJD has a strong presence in most colleges and universities and an equally strong organisation at the grassroots level. Its decisions now might influence its fate in these elections.
The BJD faces a twin challenge since the Congress is also working on strengthening its roots in Odisha ahead of the polls.
In such a scenario, the perception of being a ‘friendly opposition’ to the BJP government can prove to be damaging for the regional party in the long run. It has to wield the ‘strong opposition’ weapon to revive its electoral fortunes.
Naveen’s Health Condition
There has been marked improvement in the condition of the former chief minister, who is undergoing treatment at SUM Ultimate Medicare Sunday evening. A bulletin issued by the hospital said he was shifted from the observation room to a cabin on Monday afternoon and his condition remained stable. “Naveen Patnaik is feeling fresh and his treatment is continuing,” it added.
Naveen, who is the leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly, also thanked the people for their good wishes. “The doctors and staff in the SUM Ultimate Medicare are taking wonderful care of me. If you want to see me, you are more than welcome to come to Naveen Niwas here at Bhubaneswar,” he said in a video message.