A possible agreement between the two parties could bring about a significant change in the political dynamics of the state. 15 years ago, when the BJD decided to pull out of the NDA, Sushma Swaraj had said that "Naveen Patnaik will regret breaking this 11-year agreement".

New Delhi: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which is in power in Odisha ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, has hinted at forging an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Dal. On Wednesday, BJD leaders had called an extensive session at Naveen Niwas, the official residence of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Simultaneously, BJP leaders, including state unit chief Manmohan Samal, gathered in the national capital for a meeting to discuss electoral matters with special focus on the possibility of forging an alliance.

A possible agreement between the two parties could bring about a significant change in the political dynamics of the state. When the BJD decided to separate from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) 15 years ago, Sushma Swaraj had said that "Naveen Patnaik will regret breaking this 11-year agreement".

However, no formal announcement has been made on this yet. BJD vice-president and MLA Debi Prasad Mishra confirmed that talks have taken place between the two parties but he did not talk about the alliance. Yes, we have had talks about the alliance.

"A detailed discussion was held today with senior leaders of the party led by BJD President and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik regarding the strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. It was resolved that since by 2036, Odisha will complete 100 years of its formation, and since the BJD and Chief Minister Patnaik have to achieve major milestones for the state by then, the BJD is making efforts to carry forward its work in the larger interest of the people."

On behalf of BJP, senior leader and MP Jual Oram confirmed the discussion on a pre-poll alliance with the BJD after a meeting chaired by JP Nadda. He, however, said the final decision rests with the party's central leadership. "Yes, the alliance has also been discussed among other issues but the final decision will be taken by the central leadership," Jual Oram said.

There will be a partnership for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections With 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 assembly seats, Odisha's strategic importance is not a loss for any party. In the 2019 elections, the BJP and the BJD had secured 8 and 12 parliamentary constituencies and 23 and 112 seats in the assembly. According to sources, in the event of an alliance, the BJP will contest most of the Lok Sabha seats and the BJD will focus on assembly seats.

Speculation about an alliance gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik publicly praised each other. The two leaders acknowledged each other's contribution and the BJD had also extended its support to the Modi government's agenda in Parliament. 

What happened in 2019

The BJD-BJP alliance had success in two assembly elections and three Lok Sabha elections in Odisha. The partnership formed in February 1998 had a strong foundation as the two parties had successfully contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1998, 1999 and 2004 as well as the Assembly elections in 2000 and 2004.

The alliance, once considered the BJP's most trusted ally in the NDA, collapsed in 2009 after seat-sharing talks failed. The reason for this split was officially attributed to the BJD's demand to reduce the BJP's share in assembly seats from 63 to around 40 and the parliamentary seats from 9 to 6. This demand, deemed unjustified by BJP leaders, had led to withdrawal of support to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's government, ending an 11-year-old political formation. 

The withdrawal of support was termed by the BJD as an "act of betrayal". The BJP and BJD were formed in 1998 by senior leader Bijay Mohapatra and late Pramod Mahajan.