Who Are Instrumental In Bringing BJD & BJP Together In Odisha?

Bhubaneswar: As the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are believed to be on the verge of reviving their alliance after remaining arch rivals for 15 years, one wonders as to who were instrumental in bringing the two parties together ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Odisha.

After ruling the state in partnership with BJP from 2000 to 2009, the Naveen Patnaik-led regional outfit had snapped ties with the saffron party. The two political parties fought the 2009 elections as rivals and had been moving on different tracks since then.

However, the two parties are now stated to be busy firming up seat-sharing for the twin elections in the state. In their bid to identify the leaders from both parties who played a key role in the alliance exercise, political analysts cite at least five prominent names.

As per their analysis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman V K Pandian and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw are believed to have built a bridge between BJD and BJP.

Now the question arises as to whether the tie-up decision was taken all of a sudden. Political events that took place in the last few years showed that ever since Ashwini Vaishnaw became active in politics, some understanding appeared to have cropped up between BJD and BJP. To understand this equation, one needs to analyse the outcome of the Panchayat elections held in the state in 2017 in which BJP put up an impressive performance.

Buoyed by the gain in Panchayat polls, BJP leaders in Odisha sought to avenge BJD’s decision to part ways ahead of the 2009 polls. A confident BJP began dreaming of a bright future for the party in Odisha’s political turf where BJD was the main rival. Rivalry between BJD and BJP reached its peak and Amit Shah even went to the extent of calling Naveen government a burnt transformer.

On the other hand, BJD appeared to have got worried over increasing the strength of the BJP. Hostilities between the two parties could be seen in all spheres, from streets to social media and Parliament to Assembly.

However, the equation between BJD and BJP started changing in 2019 and the two parties came together during the Rajya Sabha elections. Ashwini Vaishnav was elected to Rajya Sabha with the support of BJD. Top leaders of both the parties gradually softened their approach towards each other. PM Modi and CM Naveen also praised each other on several occasions. What remained a hidden understanding between the two parties is now all set to get a formal shape.