Odisha BJP open to alliance, seat-sharing proposals

After initially refusing alliance or seat-sharing proposals from state-level political parties, Odisha BJP today said it was open to the idea.
The change of stand came a day before the scheduled visit of the party's senior leader Arun Jaitley to Odisha.
BJP state president K V Singhdeo, who was opposed to forming alliances with state-level political parties, today said the picture would be clear after a discussion with central leaders tomorrow.
"Many people are keen to join us," Singhdeo said.
State BJP chief spokesperson Suresh Pujari said the party was open to all kinds of options.
"We can have a discussion with parties who want to completely merge into us or like to have some kind of seat- sharing arrangement," Pujari said.

Earlier, three small political parties--Odisha Janmorcha, Aama Odisha and Utkal Bharat-- had expressed desire to enter into an alliance with BJP while another outfit Samata Kranti Dal had said it was not opposed to the idea in order to defeat the Naveen Patnaik-headed BJD.
"They have not forced us to join or merge with them. We have shown our interest to work under the fold of NDA," Utkal Bharat leader and former MP Kharvel Swain said.
Sources, however, said BJP state leaders were not in favour of alliance with OJM headed by Rajya Sabha MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra, who had floated the political outfit after being expelled from the ruling BJD.