Odisha BJP Claims Several BJD Leaders Want to Join Party; BJD Dismisses It as Misleading

NEW DELHI: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha on Tuesday claimed that several opposition leaders are keen to join the party, prompting a sharp response from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which labelled the statement an attempt to divert attention from law and order issues in the state.

Speaking to reporters, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said leaders from both the BJD and the Congress have expressed interest in joining the BJP, although the party has not yet decided on any induction. BJP MP Pradeep Purohit went further, predicting that the BJD would split within the next two months.

"The BJD will face the same fate as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Many leaders are in touch with us to join the BJP. They may directly join the BJP or form a separate group and support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)," Purohit said, as quoted by the Press Trust of India (PTI). He alleged that former chief minister Naveen Patnaik has lost control over the BJD and that several leaders are looking to secure their political future.

Samal, however, maintained that the political situation in Maharashtra and West Bengal differs from that in Odisha. "We will take a decision after a thorough analysis of the ground situation," he added.

In West Bengal, the TMC has seen a split with a faction led by Mamata Banerjee and another by leader of the opposition Ritabrata Banerjee. Twenty of the TMC's 28 Lok Sabha MPs have merged with the little-known National Citizens' Party of India and pledged support to the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. In Maharashtra, six Lok Sabha MPs of Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the Shiv Sena, a BJP ally.

Responding to the BJP's claims, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said, "BJP leaders are trying to mislead people by spreading lies about us." He added that Odisha is making national headlines for "all the wrong reasons," citing incidents of crime and alleged errors in school textbooks. Mohanty maintained that the BJD remains strong under the leadership of Patnaik.

BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo also criticised the BJP's Mohan Majhi government over six vacant cabinet berths, alleging that internal differences within the BJP have delayed a cabinet expansion. "They know there will be an explosion in the party if the chief minister expands the cabinet. To avoid such a situation, the government has kept six cabinet berths vacant for two years," Sahoo remarked.