Bhubaneswar: Union Home Minister and Senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Wednesday said that this party has been discussing the issue of an electoral alliance with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha but is yet to take a final decision on this issue.
Speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit in New Delhi, Shah said, “Our party leadership is still undecided over the issue of forging an electoral alliance with the BJD in Odisha. Our party president will decide on an alliance with the BJD. However, the BJP will certainly win more Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Odisha this time.”
When asked whether the BJP will form the next government in Odisha, the Union Home Minister said, “If we have an alliance with the BJD, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be the leader of the alliance in Odisha. But if we go it alone, we will contest the Assembly elections to form the next government in Odisha.”
Replying to a question on 5T Chairman VK Pandian’s recent statement at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit that ‘BJD does not need the BJP to form a government in Odisha and BJP may not need the BJP to form a government at the Centre’, Shah said, “The beauty of our democracy is that the Opposition does not oppose all the policies of the government but also supports the policies that are in the benefit of the country and its people. The BJD has been giving us issue-based support from time to time. This proves that alliances are not always formed keeping the electoral gains in mind.”
