Amid growing signals of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) coordinating their future activities, the regional party has announced elaborate celebrations on the occasion of the 108th birth anniversary of the legendary Biju Patnaik, father of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on March 5. Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to speak at a public gathering in Jajpur district on the same day.
The camaraderie between the two parties was on view in the recent Rajya Sabha elections, with BJD deciding not to put up a third candidate in order to ensure the election of Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw even though the party had the numbers. Odisha’s ruling party announced that it was supporting the candidature of Mr. Vaishnaw in the larger interest of the State.
State of Play | In Odisha, are the BJP and the BJD foes or frenemies?
