Opinion | Why Modi & Patnaik’s ‘Friendly Rivalry’ Took Combative Turn As Odisha Polls Kicked Off

File image of PM Narendra Modi with Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, who have been known to alternate between a friendly relationship and campaign onslaughts. ( Image Source :PTI )

On 5 March this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Naveen Patnaik as the “lokpriya (popular) CM of Odisha” at a meeting in Chandikhol, Jajpur district. This was at a time when speculation was rife about a possible alliance between Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls in the state.  Two months later, on 6 May, Modi kicked off the BJP’s campaign