Confident BJD shrugs off Advani feelers

BHUBANESWAR: Even though BJP stalwart LK Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra in Orissa brought the issue of an electoral alliance with the BJD to the centrestage of political discourse in the State, the leaders of the regional outfit are not enthusiastic about a rapprochement between the erstwhile allies.Senior leaders of the BJD do not see a need for such a discussion at this juncture with elections three years away.The party is now preparing for panchayat elections and it is confident of  putting up a good show, said a senior minister ruling out any possibility of an alliance with the BJP in future. Panchayat polls will bring to the fore the relative strengths of different political parties in the State and the BJD will continue to dominate at the grassroots, another senior leader said.Many in the party do not want to sacrifice seats as will happen if BJD again entered into an alliance with BJP. BJD organisations have come up in all the 147 constituencies during the last two years and if the party will have an alliance with BJP, the grassroot organisations in some constituencies will be affected.BJD and BJP had a seat sharing arrangement of 4:3 in 2000 and 2004 elections. Differences cropped as BJD was not prepared to part with so many seats for its ally in 2009 elections.The issue led to the parting of ways and the BJD registered a landslide victory in 2009 polls by winning 103 Assembly seats. BJD leaders maintained that in 63 Assembly seats of the BJP’s quota when the alliance was on, BJD organisation had been neglected.However, confusion still persists because of some recent developments. BJD vice-president and convenor of the Biju Bichar Manch Damodar Rout said the Chief Minister should take a clear stand on the issue.Rout said at the recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting in  Delhi, the Chief Minister did not criticise the Centre even though Central neglect is the main theme of the regional outfit here. The former minister said during his Chetna Rath Yatra, Advani was silent on Naveen. This has created confusion among the party workers.