Even as the NDA and the UPA have not finalised their nominees for the President election scheduled for July 18, all eyes are on the BJD’s stand as the regional party’s role is considered crucial in the poll to register a win.

While the Opposition has geared up its exercise by convening a meeting of 18 parties in New Delhi, which of course has been skipped by BJD, YSR Congress and AAP, the ruling BJP-led NDA at the Centre with 48.8 % of votes in the electoral college banks upon the BJD and YSR Congress most to reach the 50 % mark. The BJD with its 114 MLAs and 12 members in Lok Sabha and nine members in Rajya Sabha has around 3% of votes.

Despite its much professed equidistance theory, the BJD in last few years is seen more inclined towards the NDA rather than the UPA. CM Naveen Patnaik has shown warm gesture to TMC president and WB CM Mamata Banerjee and YSR Congress chief and AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy while they came to meet him in Bhubaneswar, but nevertheless he has not kept him an untouchable for the ruling NDA. Despite fighting over issues with the BJP in the State, Patnaik has breathed easy with the
top brass of the BJP at the Centre.

The Modi-Naveen meet at New Delhi early this month and very recently, the telephonic talk between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with CM Patnaik have fuelled speculations over an attempt by the BJP Central leadership to gain support of the BJD in the Presidential election. Moreover, the BJD has softened its habitual Centre bashing of late, while it has supported the Centre on the most crucial Bills in the Parliament like the abrogation of Article 370 and Citizenship Amendment.

The State BJP is on a back foot after the humiliating defeat in the Brajrajnagar by-poll. Though during campaigning at Brajrajnagar, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had launched a scathing attack on the Naveen Patnaik Government, he had later not minced a word against Patnaik during his visit to the State. Other Union Ministers who visited the State for review of Central schemes in the State too preferred not to criticise the State Government.