BJD chief Naveen Patnaik seems to have dumped the left political parties for this year’s elections.
In 2009, the BJD had severed ties with the BJP and forged seat adjustments with the CPI and CPI(M) and the NCP. But this time, the ruling party is so confident about coming to power for a fourth straight term that it has announced to contest all Assembly seats along with those for 21 lok Sabha.
“The BJD will field candidates in all the 147 Assembly constituencies,” party vice-president and Panchayati Raj Minister Kalpataru Das told a news conference here on Tuesday. Of late, Das is considered as a heavyweight in the BJD with his growing clout with Naveen Patnaik.
Das’ statement has apparently come as a shock to the two left parties, which have been eagerly waiting for renewal of their electoral ties with the BJD as was evident from the remarks of their national leaders here from time to time.
In the 2009 polls, the BJD had shared seats with the CPI, the CPI(M) and the NCP and a CPI candidate was elected to the Assembly while four NCP nominees also got elected to the House.
Similarly, the CPI’s lone lok Sabha candidate was elected from the Jagatsinghpur seat while the NCP lS candidate lost in Baleswar. Das’ statement clearly suggests that apart from the left parties, the BJD will also fight against all other forces like the Congress, the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Odisha Jan Morcha and the Aama Odisha.
CPI(M) central leader Prakash Karat had, during his recent visit here, had stated that the non-Congress and non-BJP parties would come together to provide an alternative Government at the Centre through a Third Front.