BHUBANESWAR: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday met BJD president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Nivas here, triggering speculations over efforts of the opposition to reach out to him for possible political alignment in the coming days.
While Yadav, who is on a two-day visit to the state, declined to make any comment on the possibility of an understanding with the BJD to become a part of any anti-BJP formation, sources did not rule out such an eventuality in the future.
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, however, praised Naveen saying development achieved by Odisha during his rule was exemplary. “Naveen Babu is a very senior leader. He and his father (Biju Patnaik) have made significant contributions towards the development of Odisha,” Yadav said.
“Naveen had worked consistently to improve the lives and livelihoods of the poor. The transformation achieved during his tenure as chief minister of Odisha is clearly visible across the state,” Yadav said.
Yadav also said both he and the BJD president are now fighting against the BJP and recalled that his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and Biju Patnaik shared close ties and worked together.
Yadav, however, described the meeting as a purely courtesy call. Asked about the BJD president’s health condition, Yadav said, he was quite healthy and there should be no politics on the issue. Later taking to X, Yadav described the interaction as a “cordial meeting” with Naveen, whom he called a “pioneer of transformation in Odisha”.
Naveen also took to social media saying, he was pleased to meet Yadav. “We had a meaningful discussion on several contemporary issues. Thanked him for the courtesy visit,” Naveen said.
Earlier, on his arrival in Bhubaneswar, Yadav told mediapersons that he wanted the Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) movement to be stronger in Odisha, as the state has a long legacy of the socialist movement. He launched an attack on the BJP saying the party has been indulging in divisive politics driven by a communal agenda.
Replying to a question on the ensuing Assembly elections in West Bengal, the SP chief said BJP is sure to lose and the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee is going to win.