No Possibility Of Third Front, BJD Will Go Solo In 2024 LS Polls: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is on a four-day trip to Delhi, made the remarks after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday rejected the possibility of an Opposition front to take on the BJP and said his BJD would go solo in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Patnaik made the remarks after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
"There is no possibility of a Third front as far as I am concerned," ANI quoted the Odisha CM as saying.
Patnaik said BJD would not form any alliance in the 2024 polls and that has "always been the case". The Odisha CM also said he had no plans to meet any other political parties during this visit to the capital.
Patnaik's clarification comes amid speculation that the BJD president may meet some Opposition leaders on forming a third front ahead of the 2024 election.
On his meeting with PM Modi, Patnaik said they discussed issues related to Odisha's demand, including an international airport in Puri.
"I met the PM and we discussed issues related to Orissa's demand. I spoke for the International Airport that we have to set up in Puri. Bhubaneswar is getting too much traffic now. That's why we want an expansion. The PM said that he will definitely help in every way possible," Patnaik said.
READ | Nitish Kumar Meets Odisha's Naveen Patnaik, Deny Any Talks On Third Front Alliance
Patnaik's remark comes a day after he met his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, who has been meeting a host of leaders to unite the Opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to take on the BJP-led NDA.
Both the leaders held a meeting at 'Naveen Niwas' in Bhubaneshwar. "Ours is a known friendship and we were colleagues many years ago. No discussion was held on any alliances today," Patnaik had said after the meeting.
While Patnaik's BJD is known to maintain equal distance from both the NDA and UPA, it has often supported the BJP on various issues and bills in Parliament.
In March, Patnaik also held a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when the TMC supremo visited Odisha.
After their meeting, the Odisha CM said, "We resolved to make the federal structure of the country permanent and strong. There was no other political discussion."
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