'Will remain equidistant from BJP, Congress': Naveen Patnaik puts speculation to rest, says BJD won't be part of 'mahagathbandhan'

Bhubaneswar: Putting all speculation to rest, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Odisha’s ruling party of which Patnaik is president, will not be a part of the mahagathbandhan or grand alliance of opposition parties in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

BJD president & Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik: BJD will not be part of the Mahagathabandhan. The party will continue to remain equidistant from both BJP & Congress. pic.twitter.com/375yeog7nv

— ANI (@ANI) January 9, 2019

He informed that his party will continue to remain equidistant from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. “BJD will not be part of the mahagathabandhan. We will continue with our policy of equidistance from BJP and Congress,” Patnaik told reporters at Odisha’s state capital. The “mahagathbandhan” is a proposed group of anti-BJP parties, including the Congress, which is aiming to dethrone the Narendra Modi-led government in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. On Tuesday, the BJD supremo had said his party would decide on joining the “mahagathbandhan” of opposition parties “later” as they needed time to firm up their decision ahead of the high-stakes election. Participating in the BJD’s sit-in seeking an increase in the minimum support price for paddy, Patnaik had on Tuesday alleged that the BJP had ignored the BJD’s demand despite promising it in its manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.