BHUBANESWAR : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to former Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik and enquired about the latter’s health.
The PM wished him a speedy recovery and suggested adequate rest. He also expressed his desire to meet Naveen at New Delhi. Naveen was hospitalised after he fell ill due to dehydration.
The PM’s call to the BJD president and his desire to meet him in New Delhi has assumed significance in view of the ensuing vice-presidential election scheduled on September 9. Earlier on Monday, Defence minister Rajnath Singh too had called Naveen and sought the support of BJD for the NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan.
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge too called Naveen and sought support for the INDIA bloc candidate B Sudershan Reddy.
Sources in the BJD said the party president will take a call after he fully recovers from the illness.
Given its position as the principal Opposition in the state, the BJD’s stand in the V-P election would be closely watched, with Congress assuming an aggressive position against the BJP government.
Between 2014 and 2024, the regional party had bailed out the BJP-led NDA in several contentious issues in the Parliament. Naveen had strategically managed to keep the BJP in check in Odisha while extending tacit support to the national party at the Centre. He had also backed the previous NDA vice-presidential candidate, Jagdeep Dhankar in July 2022.
This time around, Naveen has to walk the talk of playing the role of a vibrant Opposition. Any tag of unofficial ally of BJP may harm the prospects of the regional party in the future. Besides, it may risk playing into the hands of the Congress which is positioning itself as the ‘genuine’ Opposition to the BJP in Odisha.
The BJD also would want to avoid the blunder it made during the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 when a last minute change of stand by the party led to a rebellion of sorts against the leadership. The BJD president had announced that the party would oppose the Bill in Rajya Sabha but at the last minute allowed a conscience vote option to the party MPs, leading to a division among the party’s seven RS members.
All eyes will now be on the BJD president’s decision because supporting the INDIA alliance candidate would not help the party in Odisha where Congress is working on its revival.
Meanwhile, Naveen was discharged from SUM Ultimate Medicare late in the evening. He thanked the people for their wishes.