BJD divided over drive with BJP

BUBANESHWAR, JAN 19: The top leadership of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is divided over the first phase of joint campaign with its ally the Bha...

BUBANESHWAR, JAN 19: The top leadership of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is divided over the first phase of joint campaign with its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched on January 15 last.

Sources revealed that some senior leaders of the BJD from the coastal belt opposed the joint campaign with the BJP even before the seat arrangements between the two allies were formalised. BJD president Naveen Patnaik addressed two public meetings along with BJP shadow prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at Rourkela and Jharsuguda on January 15. Vajpayee also addressed a meeting at Baripada earlier in the day.

The decision of joint campaign was announced by the BJP State unit president Jual Oram at the launching rally of the BJD held here on January 8. Refuting reports of rift between the two poll partners, Oram had said that Vajpayee and Patnaik will start the joint campaign from January 15.

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Originally, Patnaik was scheduled to address the Baripada meeting with Vajpayee. Instead, he addressed meetings at Rourkela and Jharsuguda. The BJD leaders who addressed the rally, however, had not reacted to the announcement of joint campaign by Oram. Instead, the chairman of the BJD political affairs committee Bijay Mahapatra had struck a different note saying that although there was no rift between the two parties, talks on seat adjustments were not final.

Meanwhile, talks on seat adjustment between the two allies have reached a deadlock over several seats.

The two poll partners still have dispute over 10 seats. The first round of talks between the two allies at New Delhi on January 14 remained inconclusive.

Senior leaders of the BJD including its president Naveen Patnaik left for New Delhi yesterday to resume talks on seat sharing. Talks are expected to be finalised between the two partners by January 20.

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A meeting of the district presidents of the BJD was convened here yesterday to discuss the organisational strength of the party.