BJD-BJP bonhomie: Setback fear makes strange bedfellows

Bhubaneswar: The growing relationship between Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fuelled speculation about the BJD and BJP re-establishing their bond that lasted for nearly 11 years before getting severed in 2009.

Although both the BJD and BJP fought the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha as bitter enemies, they have come close following predictions by many poll pundits that both the parties are poised to suffer heavy losses.

After the Congress continued to steadily lose its ground in Odisha since its ouster from power in 2000 by the BJD, the BJP strengthened its position in the state. The saffron party went quite aggressive on its mission to grab power in the state, especially after the BJD dumped it from the coalition in 2009 branding it “communal”.

Spirited by its rise in vote share to 33 per cent in 2017 rural (three-tire panchayati raj) polls from 18 per cent in 2014 Assembly elections, the party pulled out all the stops to put up a formidable challenge to the ruling BJD that, according to political analysts, faced a strong anti-incumbency this time.

Although some leaders of the BJP state unit claim that their party would get an absolute majority in the Assembly and form the government in the state on its own strength, a few others confided that it may get around 40 to 45 seats, far less than the required magic number of 74. In that case, the BJD which is predicted to fall short of the magic number in 147-member state Assembly might go with the Congress.

The BJP, which apprehends possible poll reverses in Uttar Pradesh and Hindi heartlands, opened a backdoor channel for communication with the BJD leadership and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik to pre-empt a possible BJD-Congress tie-up and get the support of the regional party’s LS members.

The first glimpse of the BJD-BJP growing bonhomie came to light when Union minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan on April 30 was seen spending cosy moments with BJD president.

The two parties are getting further close. It becomes  somewhat visible when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM Naveen Patnaik and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan boarded a helicopter to make an aerial survey of the cyclone Fani-affected Puri and Khurda districts.

What added to the speculation is PM Modi’s lavish praise and adulation for Odisha CM to whom he and Amit Shah had vowed to throw out of power with full force.

Mr Modi said, “The Naveen Patnaik-led government has done a commendable job in evacuating coastal areas to avoid loss of lives. Evacuating 12 lakh people in such a short period is not a small achievement,” Mr Modi said.

The BJP and BJD had entered into a coalition in 1998 and fought together against the Congress till 2009 when both the parties parted ways.

Though the two parties shared acrimonious relationship in the past 10 years, the BJD extended support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre on crucial issues. It supported the Modi government’s steps like demonetisation and passing of Goods and Services Tax Bill in Parliament. Besides, it extended support to the NDA on presidential polls, election of Rajya Sabha deputy speaker and refrained from participating in the Opposition-led no-confidence motion.