A day after exit polls predicted NDA coming to power, the ruling BJD appeared to be sending signals to the BJP of its possible outside support.
While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is non-committal of his party’s support to an NDA formation at the Centre, others in the BJD do not rule out such a possibility.
On his return from Delhi, Naveen told reporters that he had not discussed the issue with anybody in Delhi and the party still maintains its stance of equidistance from both the Congress and BJP.
“Let me say it quite clearly that there is no discussion or talks over alliance with any party,” Naveen said to repeated queries from reporters on the BJD’s possible support to NDA.
When the BJD chief’s attention was drawn to Government Chief Whip Pravat Tripathy’s comment on the issue of extending support to the NDA, the Chief Minister said he does not know about it.
Earlier, Tripathy told a TV channel that keeping in view the opinion of the whole country and the state’s interest, there should be no problem in providing conditional support to NDA at the Centre.
Tripathy, however, said the the matter needed to be discussed in the party and a final decision would be taken by the party president.
In his tweet, senior BJP leader Baijayanta Panda said the matter needs to be discussed within the party and a decision in this regard would be taken by the party chief.