BJD Alliance On Cards? BJP Odisha Chief Retracts After Claiming Party To Go It Alone In LS Polls

Manmohan Samal, who returned to Bhubaneswar earlier in the day, was promptly called back to Delhi to attend a crucial meeting with the party's top leadership later

New Delhi: Hours after declaring that the BJP would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha and Odisha elections independently, state BJP president Manmohan Samal retracted his statement, emphasising that the final decision rests with the party's Parliamentary Party, news agency PTI reported.

Samal, who returned to Bhubaneswar earlier in the day, was promptly called back to Delhi to attend a crucial meeting with the party's top leadership later in the evening, PTI reported.

His initial assertion came amid swirling discussions about a potential pre-poll alliance between the BJD and the BJP.

Upon his return from the national capital, following a meeting with Union Minister Amit Shah, Samal said, "BJP will secure victory in the state on its own with the support of the people." However, within a couple of hours, he revised his stance, saying, "The final decision will be as per the directives of our national president or the parliamentary party. The media should not draw conclusions based on my statements."

Samal also removed his social media post where he had asserted the BJP's determination to form the government in Odisha independently.

Before deleting the post, he told reporters, "Our campaign will revolve around the pride of Odisha."

When pressed about the possibility of an alliance with BJD, Samal said, "If that were the case, I wouldn't have asserted that BJP would form the government in Odisha."

In response, BJD MLA Sambit Routray said, "If BJP is not interested in an alliance, why was Samal frequently visiting Delhi? We never invited him there. His actions and statements to the media have fuelled speculation about a potential alliance. No BJD leader has hinted at such a possibility."

Meanwhile, the BJD had called for a meeting of senior party members at Naveen Niwas, the residence of party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, earlier in the day.

The prospects of an alliance between the BJD and the BJP gained traction after Odisha BJP leaders were summoned to the national capital on March 10. Over the next three days, they engaged in multiple discussions with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who had been entrusted by the BJP leadership to gauge the opinions of the state leaders.

Samal, accompanied by organising secretary Manas Mohanty, Odisha election in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, and his deputy Lata Usendi, held discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the latter's residence on Wednesday night.