Former Union Minister Srikant Jena, who was expelled from the Congress in 2019, returned to the party on March 6, at a time when speculation is rife about an alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Biju Janata Dal in Odisha. The State is due to hold its Assembly election simultaneously with the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Speaking at a press conference to announce Mr. Jena’s return to the Congress, the party’s Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar said that the BJP and BJD had been in a “live-in relationship”, adding that it was high time that the “marriage” between the two parties be made official.
“The BJP and BJD are together, so there is only one Opposition party here: the Congress. The whole Opposition space is ours,” Mr. Kumar said. He also claimed that several ticket claimants from both the BJP and BJD are in touch with the Congress, since the two parties are now making their alliance “official” and many of these aspirants will find themselves out of the race.
