Patnaik aide says BJP-BJD alliance talks beyond politics

Odisha chief minister’s aide VK Pandian said Naveen Patnaik and Prime Minister Narendra Modi do not need the alliance to get re-elected

Published on: Mar 19, 2024, 15:01:19 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s aide VK Pandian on Tuesday said that the alliance talks between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) were beyond politics and a mark of great statesmanship of two great leaders. He said Patnaik and Prime Minister Narendra Modi do not need it to get re-elected.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. (PTI/File)

“...Patnaik does not require the BJP support to win the sixth term in Odisha. I would say the same thing about...Modi,” he told News18. He added the alliance has no electoral value for the BJD or BJP. “If anything [alliance] happens, we will get to know.”

Pandian, who was Patnaik’s private secretary and quit the Indian Administrative Service in October 2023 to join BJD, said the chief minister considers politics a public service and this is one of the key reasons for his success. “He is also not seen as a politician. He has a great soul,” he said.

When asked about Patnaik’s successor, Pandian said the chief minister always says Odisha’s people will decide who will succeed him. “Patnaik is so popular, meticulous, and futuristic that I am sure he must have planned the future,” said Pandian, who is widely seen as the five-time chief minister’s successor.

The BJD said it would take all steps for the greater interests of the people of Odisha when it started the alliance talks with the BJP this month. The talks hit a wall over the BJP demand for at least 50 of the 147 assembly seats and seven ministerial posts in the next ministry including deputy chief minister. The BJP rank and file have opposed the alliance, saying it will help the BJD beat anti-incumbency.

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