In a setback to the efforts of the Congress and other opposition parties to form a grand alliance against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the general elections, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday made it clear that his party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), would not be a part of such alliance.
“BJD will not be a part of the mahagathbandhan. We will continue with our policy of equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress,” Patnaik told reporters in Bhubaneswar.
On Tuesday, Patnaik had said that the BJD would decide on joining the mahagathbandhan of opposition parties later as it needed time to firm up its decision.
The BJD's decision came at a time when the BJP has stepped up its efforts to increase footprint in Odisha. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the saffron party had won only one seat, while the BJD bagged all the remaining 20 seats leaving the Congress with zero seats.
However, the BJP's impressive show in the 2017 panchayat elections has led to predictions that the party would emerge as the largest party in the state in the 2019 elections.
With inputs from PTI
