Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday left for Delhi on a three-day tour, during which he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a statement issued by his office said. The BJD president's visit to the national capital assumes significance amid preparations for elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in the state, and the forthcoming presidential polls.
The chief minister's office has not revealed the agenda of the meeting, but sources in the party said presidential elections among other matters would come up for discussions during Patnaik's meeting with the PM. This was Patnaik's second visit to Delhi in a span of 30 days. The CM had last visited Delhi for five days starting April 29. President Ram Nath Kovind tenure is set to end on July 24, 2022. Talking to a private news channel, the CM had said that his party would take a call on its course of action only after candidates for presidential polls get nominated.
Patnaik had, all along, claimed that his party maintained equal distance from both the BJP-led NDA and Congress-helmed UPA, but the BJD had supported Kovind in 2017.
The party is likely to play a crucial role in the presidential elections as the NDA may fall short of votes, given the fact the Akali Dal and Shiv Sena have turned their backs on the BJP, the sources in the BJD said.
The BJD has 12 MPs in Lok Sabha, nine members in Rajya Sabha and 113 MLAs in the Odisha Assembly.—PTI