Amid speculations of the BJP and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) forging a formal alliance for the coming elections, both parties on Wednesday held hectic deliberations at their own levels to smoothen rough edges.
Both the parties, however, did not come out with a clear statement on the proposed alliance. After marathon three and half hours of meeting of senior BJD leaders at Naveen Niwas, residence of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here, the regional party left enough indications about the proposed formal alliance.
“In the discussions, it was resolved that since by 2036, Odisha will complete 100 years of its statehood and the BJD and the Chief Minister have major milestones to be achieved by this time, therefore the BJD will do everything towards this in the greater interests of people of Odisha and the State,” said BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra in a statement.
In New Delhi, former Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said the State unit of the BJP had proposed to go it alone in the elections but, it was up to the Central leadership to take a final call on the issue of alliance.
If the announcement about formal alliance is made, both the parties would tie up again after a gap of 15 years.
For over a month now, there had been speculation about the BJP and the BJD returning to alliance. It gathered momentum recently. Since February first week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made two visits to Odisha, addressing public gatherings each time. Notably, he has chosen to refrain from attacking the State government during these visits. Mr. Patnaik had shared the stage with the Prime Minister on two separate official functions during the visits. It added fuel to the speculations.
During his March 5 visit, Mr. Modi offered glowing tributes to legendary the late Biju Patnaik on his 108th birth anniversary. He did not utter a single word on the failures of the State government. Instead, Mr. Modi called Mr. Patnaik best Chief Minister of the State.
On his part, Mr. Patnaik praised Mr. Modi saying, “The Prime Minister has set a new direction for India. He is taking India on an accelerated drive to make it an economic powerhouse. India is now the 5th largest economy marching forward to be the number three in a few years.”
Shared desires
One of the primary reasons attributed to the rekindling of the former alliance is the shared desires of both Mr. Modi and Mr. Patnaik to conclude their tenures on a high note, devoid of any hiccups. While the Prime Minister is vying for a third consecutive term in office, the BJD leader aims to concrete his position as the longest-serving Chief Minister in the nation’s history.
Following the demise of the legendary Biju Patnaik on April 16, 1997, the regional party emerged by bringing together former Janata Dal leaders of the State on December 26, 1997. Subsequently, the BJD forged an alliance with the BJP for the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. BJD supremo Mr. Naveen Patnaik was then inducted into the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, which lasted for 13 months. Subsequently, he joined as a Cabinet Minister the National Democratic Alliance government led by the BJP in 1999.
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Decline of Congress
In 1998, the BJD and BJP secured victory in 16 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats, a tally that increased to 19 in 1999. Concurrently, the Congress saw a decline in its Lok Sabha seats from five to two during the same period.
Following a resounding victory in the 2000 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, where the alliance won 106 out of 147 seats, Mr. Patnaik assumed office as the Chief Minister for the first time on March 5, 2000. In the State elections, the BJD clinched the victory in 68 out of 84 contested seats while the BJP emerged victorious in 38 out of 63 allocated seats.
In 2004, despite the NDA government losing the general elections to the United Progressive Alliance, the two parties maintained their winning streak, securing 93 seats in the Assembly and 18 Lok Sabha seats.
The 2008 anti-Christian riots in Odisha sparked a rupture in the relationship between the BJD and the BJP. The regional party distanced itself from the riots and cut ties with the BJP, leading both parties to contest the 2009 elections separately.
In the 21 Lok Sabha seats, the BJD maintained its momentum, securing victory in 14 seats, while the BJP faltered, failing to secure a single seat. The BJP’s lack of alliance contributed to its poor performance, as the Congress won six seats and one went to the CPI.
Without a formal alliance, the BJP’s poor performance persisted in 2014, having secured only one seat, while the BJD dominated by winning 20 out of 21 seats, despite the emergence of Mr. Modi on the national scene.
The year 2019 witnessed a turnaround in the fortunes of the BJP, which managed to secure eight seats, while the BJD’s tally decreased to 12. One seat was claimed by the Congress. Given the spectacular results the alliance ensured in the past, both parties are interested to take this forward.
