BJD leader and Government chief whip in the State Assembly Pravat Kumar Tripathy on Tuesday said the BJD may extend conditional support to the NDA to form Government at the Centre.
“Keeping in view the Centre’s support in favour of all round development of the State, the BJD may support the BJP-led NDA to form Government at the Centre,” Tripathy said while talking to reporters at his residence here.
Tripathy’s statement assumes significance in the wake of a host of vehement possibilities emerging in favour of the BJP to form the upcoming Government, the latest being more than four national news channels predicting a near majority for the NDA in their respective exit polls published on Tuesday.
“Odisha needs Central support for development in every sector. What is wrong if the BJD extends support to the NDA to get Central support,” said a staunch BJD supporter in the city here.
Tripathy’s statement also gives an indication that the BJD has possibly changed its mind that it would maintain equal distance from the Congress-led UPA and the NDA in the backdrop of Modi mania existed during the two-phase polls in the State.
“The BJD might have collected intelligence inputs how the same voters, who voted for the BJD Assembly candidates to see the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government for the consecutive fourth time, changed their minds to vote for Modi for the Centre. If the BJD has taken this decision, it is then a welcome step,” said a political analyst.
However, the analyst viewed that the ruling Party might have aired this opinion to keep the party dissidents mum. “Recently, BJP State president KV Singh Deo said that some BJD candidates were in touch with him vis-à-vis formation of the next Government in the State. His assertion to form the Government with them in the State might have panicked the BJD,” the analyst said.