Bhubaneswar: The speculation about possible pre-poll alliance between ruling BJD and BJP was further fuelled as none from Odisha featured in the first BJP list of candidates for upcoming Lok Sabha election, released on Saturday.
It was anticipated that the BJP list will at least have four names from Odisha – Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan (Sambalpur), national spokesperson Sambit Patra (Puri), former Union Minister Jual Oram (Sundargarh) and Aparajita Sarangi (Bhubaneswar).
Also Read: BJP Shuffles Candidates For Lok Sabha Polls, 33 Sitting MPs Replaced With New Faces
Speaking to the media, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said that the state unit of the saffron party will meet on March 6 and recommend names of candidates to the party’s central committee for the Lok Sabha seats. “There is no dispute. The matter has been discussed. The election committee of State BJP will meet soon. Thereafter, the party will announce names for Odisha,” he said.
On Friday evening, Samal, upon his return from a trip to New Delhi where he met Home Minister Amit Shah and senior BJP leaders, told the media that BJP would contest the ensuing elections in Odisha on its own strength and ruled out the possibility of any alliance with BJD.
Also Read: Manmohan Samal Puts To Rest Speculation On Pre-Poll BJP-BJD Alliance In Odisha
Later, BJP state election in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar firmly ruled out any pre-poll alliance with BJD, while asserting that the saffron party will win more than 80 of the 147 Assembly and more than 16 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha.
BJD MP Sasmit Patra also pooh-poohed the alliance talks as rumours, while alleging that it was being spread by Odisha BJP.
Also Read: BJD Blames Odisha BJP For Alliance ‘Rumour’
