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BJP, BJD Odisha alliance talks stalemate shows no sign of ending, parties set to go separate ways for LS elections
Odisha BJP's alliance talks with BJD are at a stalemate, with both sides unwilling to concede to each other's demands.
New Delhi: The Odisha BJP on Friday evening said the party will contest the upcoming assembly and Lok Sabha elections alone. The remark came after its alliance talks with the ruling BJD reportedly reached a stalemate, with both sides unwilling to concede to each other's demands.
BJP state president Manmohan Samal returned to Odisha after his visit to Delhi on Friday. He claimed there was no talk of alliance and the BJP will contest the elections alone.
"We had gone to Delhi to hold discussions with the central leaders on our preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state. No talks on alliance or seat-sharing with any party were held during the meeting," he added.
Samal said the Odisha BJP will contest and win the elections on its own strength.
Also read: Seat-sharing talks: BJP to get larger share in Lok Sabha polls, BJD for assembly
BJD leaders VK Pandian and Pranab Prakash Das, who came to Delhi in a chartered flight on Thursday evening to discuss pre-poll alliance issues with the BJP central leaders, also returned to Bhubaneswar. However, they maintained silence.
Why the BJP-BJD alliance talks went south?
PTI, citing sources, reported that the two parties had agreed for an alliance; however, both are now demanding greater share of seats.
The BJD, according to PTI, demanded over 100 out of 147 Odisha assembly seats.
"The BJD is demanding about 75 per cent of the assembly seats which is not acceptable to us," a senior BJP leader told the news agency, adding such a situation would adversely affect the prospect of the saffron party in the state.
The BJD, meanwhile, isn't ready to accede to the BJP's demand for 14 of the state's 21 Lok Sabha seats.
Also read: BJD, BJP hold discussions for alliance in Lok Sabha, Odisha polls
"It would be suicidal for us if we contest in less than 10 LS seats," a senior BJD leader said.
Naveen Patnaik-BJP history
Naveen Patnaik-led BJD had won 112 seats in the Odisha assembly elections in 2019. They won 12 Lok Sabha seats; the BJP won eight.
The BJP and BJD were allies between 1998 and 2009. Patnaik was also the minister of steel and mines in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
The alliance won 17 of 21 seats in the 1998 general elections with a 48.7 percent vote share. The alliance again bettered their tally to 19 seats in 1999, which slightly came down to 18 in 2004.
With inputs from PTI
