Two days after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik amidst speculations of strengthening Opposition unity, Mr. Patnaik on Thursday said he was not going to join any front ahead of the 2024 election.
Emerging from the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Mr. Patnaik, when asked about the possibility of him joining the Third Front, said, “No, not as far as I am concerned. Not now.”
On the position of the Biju Janata Dal going alone in the Assembly as well as general election, he said, “That has always been our principle.”
On May 9, after his meeting with Mr. Kumar, the Odisha CM had already made it clear that he had held no discussion on joining the non-BJP platform.
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“I met with the PM. Our discussions were mainly related to Odisha’s demand. I spoke about the Shree Jagannath International Airport we want to set up in Puri. The boundary has already been earmarked for airport. As Bhubaneswar is getting too much of traffic now, we definitely want expansion. The PM said he would help in every way possible,” said Mr. Patnaik.
After winning five back-to-back elections in Odisha, Mr. Patnaik appears to be in a comfortable situation to win the sixth term.
BJD dominant
According to political observers, the Biju Janata Dal has carved out a dominant position in Odisha politics leaving mainstream parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress as marginal players. No other political party other than the three has any presence in Odisha.
“Why would Mr. Patnaik join non-BJP Opposition coalition? He is very comfortable in Odisha. No outside Opposition political party can benefit him politically. He continues to believe in the party’s strength as a regional player having cordial relationship with the party at the Centre,” said Rabi Dash, veteran journalist and political observer.
“No outside Opposition political party can benefit him politically”Rabi DashVeteran journalist and political observer
Mr. Dash pointed out, “The Odisha CM has largely been unaffected as far as visits of Central agencies are concerned. Opposition leaders allege the Modi government was trying to control opponents by misusing agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation. There was no such serious bid to entangle BJD leaders. The BJD came to the rescue of the BJP whenever it was required. It is unlikely to go against the BJP like other regional leaders.”
The Odisha CM apparently dodged the attempt to draw him into the Opposition coalition during Mr. Kumar’s visit. In March this year, he also termed the meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a courtesy call.
The BJP, which according to exit polls, is staring at a possible defeat in Karnataka, does not want to see Opposition parties uniting on a common platform. The BJP derives comforts from the fact that the BJD is apparently distancing itself from the Opposition coalition.
