Alliance Bid, Senior BJD Leaders’ Meeting Today, Samal Hints At Possible Tie-Up With BJD

Bhubaneswar: Amid speculations about a possible pre-poll alliance with the BJP, on Thursday afternoon, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called up an emergency meeting of the senior party leaders at his residence Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar.

According to sources, at this meeting, the BJD senior leaders and the party’s district observers are expected to discuss the obstacles in seat-sharing with the BJP.

Meanwhile, Odisha BJP president, Manmohan Samal, who met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Wednesday evening, after returning to Bhubaneswar, hinted at the possibility of an alliance between the BJP and the BJD.

Speaking to newsmen at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) on Thursday, Samal said, “The procedure is on and everything is on the right path. We are discussing all aspects.”

But a few days back, Samal had categorically denied the possibility of any alliance with the regional party and said was only “a rumour”.

According to reports, the state BJP leadership had a closed-door meeting with Amit Shah on Wednesday evening regarding a seat-sharing formula with the BJD.

Neither the BJP nor the BJD has made any formal announcement regarding the materialization of the pre-poll alliance.