Decode Politics: Why BJD, BJP alliance makes sense? Nearly 50% vote share

THE RETURN of the BJD to the BJP’s side has been some time in the making, with the state party careful to sustain cordial ties with the ruling party at the Centre, despite the two being prime opponents in Odisha for some time now.

What has helped are the warm ties BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik enjoys with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who gave another sample of it during his visit to Odisha on Tuesday. While Modi hailed Patnaik as a “Lokpriya (popular)” CM and indicated that Odisha will play a significant role in the BJP-led NDA’s target of 400-plus seats in the Lok Sabha polls, the CM said Modi had set course for India to become “an economic powerhouse”.

At the Centre, the BJD has always voted with the government on issues crucial to the BJP’s agenda, including the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, GST, the ordinance on powers vesting with the Delhi government vis-a-vis the Centre, the surgical strike, demonetisation and the proposal for one nation, one election, as well as the polls for the President’s post, both in 2017 and 2022.

But the speculation that an alliance was finally coming gained fresh momentum after the BJD again helped the BJP get Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw elected to the Rajya Sabha in the recent elections.

“The alliance will be a win-win for both parties as the BJP is more concerned about returning to power at the Centre with a record margin. With the BJD seeking a sixth straight term in Odisha, a tie-up with the BJP, the main opposition party, will also ensure it a smooth victory,” a senior BJD leader said.

Following the death of the towering Janata Dal leader and former Odisha CM Biju Patnaik, Biju loyalists formed a regional party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), to take forward his legacy on December 26, 1997.