Naveen Patnaik: Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha, today ruled out collaborating with the opposition ahead of the 2024 presidential election, saying that his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party will stand alone and that this has “always been the plan.”
Odisha CM Affirms Equidistant Approach to BJP and Congress After Meeting with PM Modi
This evening, the Chief Minister had a “courtesy call” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He responded to a question about whether the BJD will continue its “equidistant” attitude by saying, “That has always been the plan.” The 76-year-old seasoned politician has never been certain whether to back the Congress or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is governed by the BJP. Two days after his meeting with the leader of the opposition unity movement ahead of 2024 and Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, he emphasised that this was not going to change any time soon.
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Naveen Patnaik’s Meeting with PM Modi Sparks Speculation Amid Nitish Kumar’s Election Plans
The announcement by Naveen Patnaik is a setback to Nitish Kumar’s plans to have head-to-head elections against the BJP throughout India in 2024. Patnaik claimed that he had met with PM Modi to discuss moving the international airport, one of Odisha’s main draws, from Bhubaneswar to Puri. “The PM said he will help in any way possible,” he continued. On this trip to the capital, he claimed he had no plans to meet with any other political groups. “Not on this trip, not as far as I’m concerned,” he remarked, refuting reports that suggested a flurry of meetings with opposition figures like Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
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Naveen Patnaik Meets with Mamata Banerjee Amid Speculations of Anti-BJP Alliance
Earlier, Patnaik had a meeting with Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal and one of the BJP’s harshest critics. There were rumours that the chief minister of Odisha wanted to send a message to the BJP, which has been making aggressive advances in the state he has ruled for 22 years, by meeting with opposition politicians. The BJD hasn’t decided whether to back the BJP-led NDA or the opposition since Patnaik left that coalition in 2008. The party has also been known to bail out the central government when necessary and has skipped opposition sessions.
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