No possibility of third front as far as I am concerned: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik

Patnaik, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday afternoon in the national Capital reiterated his party’s position of remaining equidistant both from the Congress as well as the BJP

Updated on: May 11, 2023, 19:17:37 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has ruled out any possibility of a third front saying that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on its own.

On Tuesday, Patnaik had met Bihar CM but denied talking about politics. (Naveen Patnaik | Twitter)

The development comes two days after Patnaik had met his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar.

Patnaik, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday afternoon in the national Capital reiterated his party’s position of remaining equidistant both from the Congress as well as the BJP.

Also Read: After Modi meet, Naveen Patnaik says no to joining ‘third front’ for 2024 poll

“BJD will fight the 2024 elections on its own. That has been always been the policy of BJD. My discussions were mainly related to Odisha’s demands and the international airport coming up in Puri. As the traffic in Bhubaneswar international airport is rising, we talked about the proposed Puri airport,” he said.

On Tuesday, Patnaik had met Bihar CM Kumar but denied talking about politics.

“Ours is a known friendship, and we were colleagues many years ago. No discussion was held on any alliances,” Patnaik had said after the meeting.

The Bihar CM said his relation with Patnaik and his father Biju Patnaik is very old.

“Due to the COVID pandemic, we could not meet. No political discussions were held. We have good relations and there is no need to discuss any politics,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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