New Delhi: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday stated that there had been no talk about the presidential election and that neither the opposition nor the Bharatiya Janata Party had approached him in this regard.
At the Parliament gate, BJD MPs greeted him.
There was conjecture that Patnaik will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his three-day visit to Delhi, which begins Monday, and that the BJP would seek Biju Janata Dal support for its nominee.
However, he has no intention of seeing either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah. He has also made no plans to meet with prominent opposition figures.
“There is still plenty of time,” Patnaik informed reporters at Parliament House in Delhi about the upcoming presidential election in July. Patnaik’s BJD has 112 lawmakers and 21 parliamentarians.
Patnaik last visited Delhi in September 2021 to attend a conference hosted by Amit Shah of chief ministers from Maoist-affected states.
When asked if the government and opposition should reach an agreement this time, Patnaik responded, “I have not thought about it, nor do I have any idea thus far.”
He further stated that he is in Delhi to meet with no opposition leaders. When asked if his party will join any opposition alliance against the BJP, Patnaik responded, “…We have not looked into it yet.”
After speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Patnaik’s BJD endorsed the BJP-led national coalition’s nominee Ram Nath Kovind over the Opposition’s Meira Kumar in 2017.
