Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is unlikely to change his stand towards the BJP and the Congress. It also seems his BJD will maintain equidistance not only from both the BJP and Congress but also from the other non-BJP and non-Congress parties.
Patnaik is also not ready to go with the AIADMK and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the two major regional parties which have won sizable numbers of seats in the lok Sabha, said sources. "Taking all together, Naveen will like to go it alone in the national politics," said the sources, adding that the BJD at the same time would also not oppose the NDA Government at the Centre.
Patnaik's stand to virtually support the NDA Government on the plea of Odisha's interests is viewed by political observers as his self-defence move in view of the Sword of Damocles hanging over many BJD leaders, including Ministers, due to the CBI's inquiry into the mega chit fund scam that has just begun.
Besides, there is every possibility of the Supreme Court also ordering a CBI probe into the massive mining scam in the State on the basis of the MB Shah Commission's recommendation.
The sources rejected possibility of Patnaik joining hands with AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and TMC boss Mamata Banerjee, both of whom are coming close to each other against the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government.
An earlier proposal to create a group in Parliament with the AIADMK and the TMC has been rejected by Patnaik.
Patnaik has convened a meeting of the 20 newly-elected BJD MPs and is likely to tell them that they should not get carried by any other party's policy and, instead, should concentrate on the interest of Odisha. While the AIADMK has 37 lok Sabha members, the TMC has 34. Together with the BJD's 20 members, the three regional parties' strength in lok Sabha is 91, which is much more than that of the main opposition, the Congress.