Putting all speculations to rest, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will not be a part of the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
He informed that his party will continue to remain equidistant from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress.
"BJD will not be part of the Mahagathabandhan. We will continue with our policy of equidistance from BJP and Congress," Patnaik told reporters here.
On Tuesday, the BJD supremo said that he needed more time to decide on joining the grand alliance, ahead of the high-stakes general elections.
The 'Mahagathbandhan' is a proposed group of non-BJP parties, including the Congress, which is aiming to dethrone the Narendra Modi-led government in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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