No BJP-BJD tieup, says Arjun Munda

Bhubaneswar: A day after BJP leader and Union minister Bhupender Yadav ruled out any alliance between the BJP and the BJD, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda too on Sunday dismissed speculations on possible BJP-BJD tieup.

The growing bonhomie between the BJD and the BJP has become a topic for discussion in political circles after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Odisha. Shah called Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik "popular" and hailed him for becoming the Chief Minister five times in a row.

Munda, who was on a visit to Odisha, told reporters in Bhubaneswar that there is no possibility of any BJP-BJD tieup in the State. The two political parties are not going to forge any alliance now or in the near future, he said.

The BJP will contest the elections on its own without any alliance with the BJD like in the last elections, Munda said. Modi government wants to ensure speedy development of all States through combined effort, he added.