Will decide what will be conducive to Odisha's development: BJD's Debi Prasad Mishra

"Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was present. With him, 18-20 senior leaders and functionaries of Biju Janata Dal were present in the discussion, and all the aspects of the coming General Election was discussed. We will take any decision that will be conducive for the development of Odisha and for people of Odisha," Mishra said, speaking to ANI on Wednesday after the meeting.

The BJD vice president also said that party president Naveen Patnaik has put forth several milestones since Odisha will be celebrating 100 years of statehood after 12 years.

"BJD as a regional party, under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik, is making strides in all aspects of development in Odisha. That is our prime agenda. Moreover, Odisha will be celebrating it's 100 year of statehood after 12 years. So the milestones were set by our president, the Chief Minister, and the beloved leader of the people of Odisha. With that objective, BJD will decide on its course of action," Mishra said.

In response to a question asked by the reporter on the seat-sharing agreement with its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mishra said, "Every aspect of the coming General Election was discussed. Everything was discussed."

Odisha has 21 parliamentary constituencies. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) got the maximum number of seats, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP bagged 8 seats, and the Congress won one seat.

The state has 147 Assembly constituencies. The BJD swept the state in the last polls, winning 113 seats in the 2019 elections held simultaneously with the general elections. The BJP came a distant second with 23 seats, followed by the Congress with 9, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) with 1, and an independent candidate bagging another seat. (ANI)