BHUBANESWAR: Two days after the meeting between Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan at New Delhi over tax dispute between State Government and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) stirred speculation about a possible rapprochement between BJD and BJP, both the parties on Sunday resumed their adversarial role keeping in view the next Assembly election.
The rousing reception given to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the airport by BJD activists and his announcement that the regional outfit will continue with its policy of keeping equi-distance from the Congress and BJP have now put to rest speculation in political circles here that Naveen will return to the NDA fold like his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar. Talking to mediapersons, the BJD supremo also made it clear that the party is fully prepared for an early election to the State Assembly.
Meanwhile, the BJP also ruled out the possibility of any coalition with the BJD in 2019 elections. Pradhan claimed that the BJP is in a position to form next Government in Odisha on its own strength and there is no need for any coalition with the regional outfit. Pradhan said BJP president Amit Shah is in the process of finalising a roadmap to defeat the BJD in next election.
Stating that the BJP had lost in about 120 Assembly seats by a thin margin in the last elections, the Union Minister said these seats can be won by the party by strengthening the organisation at the booth level.
He said Amit Shah’s visit to Odisha early next month is part of a strategy to strengthen the BJP organisation at the grassroots. Shah will be attending about 26 events during his three-day tour to Odisha from September 6. However, his visit will be an internal affair of the party and there will be no public meeting.