Optimistic about continuing the decade-old BJP-BJD alliance, BJP's special emissary to the state MP Chandan Mitra has said the seat sharing formula with the regional party for the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls would be finalised within 48 hours.
Soon after his arrival here last night, the Rajya Sabha member held brief discussions with party leaders followed by preliminary talks with Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik.
Stating that another round of talks with Patnaik would be held shortly, he claimed that seat sharing formula between BJP and BJD for state assembly and Lok Sabha elections would be finalised within 48 hours.
Hopeful that the alliance would survive, Mitra said "I am quite optimistic that our ties with BJD will continue. Our talks with Naveen Patnaik were held in a cordial atmosphere."
As uncertainty prevailed over the fate of the alliance, Mitra held discussions with state BJP leaders here this morning and is scheduled to have further talks with BJD supremo and Patnaik very soon.
With Naveen-led BJD demanding a lion's share of the 147 assembly seats in Orissa the fate of its alliance with BJP was in doldrums as the saffron party wanted to stick to the seat sharing ratio of 4:3 in past elections.
"BJD should get not less than 100 assembly seats in order to prevent Congress from gaining power," BJD secretary general Damodar Rout said.
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Asking BJP not to demand 63 seats as it was given in the 2004 elections, he said they should realise the ground reality before asking for more seats.
The alliance partners had fought last two assembly and Lok Sabha elections on 4:3 ratio. While BJD fielded its candidates in 84 seats, BJP's candidates contested in rest 63 seats. The 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state were also contested by the two parties together in a similar manner.
The alliance together won 92 seats of the 147 seats in the last Orissa assembly.
Stating that BJD was in favour of continuing its decade old electoral alliance with the BJP, Rout said Naveen Patnaik was interested for a pre-poll pact with the saffron party.
While Patnaik has been silent on the number of seats the BJD wanted to contest, party leaders have been expressing strong reservations about sticking to the old formula and also favouring cut in BJP's share of seats.