LS polls: In Odisha, BJP draws plan to make gains in former ally’s citadel

The two parties, which have been allies for over two decades, are now competing against each other in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Odisha.

Bhubaneswar: Friendly ties with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) going back to 1997, when it helped carve out the regional party as a breakaway fraction of the Janata Dal, eventually proved to be an impediment for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s growth in Odisha, leaders in the eastern state said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik in Jajpur district of the state on March 5. (PTI)

The two parties, which have been allies and shared friendly ties for over two decades, are now competing against each other in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in