Naveen’s likely meeting with NCP chief Pawar sets tongues wagging

BHUBANESWAR: At a time when president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar has renewed pitch for Opposition unity in the 2024 elections, a possible meeting between him and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who will be on a three-day Mumbai visit from Tuesday has generated much political interest here.

Even as the Chief Minister’s visit will be primarily to attend an investors’ meet in the run up to the ‘Make-in-Odisha’ conclave, a one-to-one meeting with the Maratha strongman is likely on the evening of September 13 or morning of September 15.

Though BJD sources dismissed any political angle to such a meeting and termed it a formal occasion, the development cannot be ignored completely as Naveen had also met NCP leader and Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule in the Parliament house during one of his visits to New Delhi recently.Sources in the NCP said that Odisha in-charge and former Union minister Praful Patel is also likely to visit the State some time later this month. He may also meet the Chief Minister during his visit.

Link between BJD and NCP is nothing new and two political parties were allies in the 2009 general elections. The NCP had joined hands with the BJD then even though it was a member of the UPA. The NCP had won four assembly seats. However, the State party unit merged with the BJD later that year.
In this connection,  Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to visit Odisha this month too. Nitish is also working for Opposition unity after quitting alliance with BJP in Bihar. He had earlier met the Chief Minister at Naveen Nivas in 2017.

These developments have assumed significance as the BJD has been a “dependable friend” of the BJP in the last eight years of Modi government. It has sided with the BJP in all important issues and supported the government during passage of crucial bills.

Political observers here feel that by the new move, Naveen wants to send a message to the BJP, which of late has begun to adopt an aggressive posture in the State. The BJP has begun preparing its organisation to challenge the BJD in the 2024 polls. Union ministers are flocking to the State and holding meetings in different districts. Party national president JP Nadda is also scheduled to visit Odisha on September 29.