By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 4, 2018: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress on Sunday described the Bharatiya Janata Party’s claim of winning Odisha in 2019 polls as a pipe dream.

BJP leaders in the state are confidant of ousting the Naveen Patnaik government in the 2019 assembly poll following good show in assembly polls in north eastern states. Union minister and BJP leader Jual Oram claimed that the BJD would be humbled at the hustings in Odisha in the next assembly poll.

The Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha will face the same fate as the Manik Sarkar government in Tripura and there will be a direct contest between the BJP and BJD in the state, Oram claimed.

A direct fight between BJD and BJP will benefit the latter as has happened in Tripura where the Congress has failed to win even a single seat. Political observers are also of the opinion that a triangular fight between BJD, BJP and Congress always benefited the regional outfit.

However, as the Congress is turning out to be a signboard party in the state going by its performance in the Bijepur by-poll, the BJP is likely to reap the benefit, the BJP leaders claimed.

Meanwhile, reacting to the statement of Oram, the agriculture minister Pradip Maharathi said BJP will never come to power in Odisha. On mission 120 plus of BJP national party president Amit Shah in Odisha, Maharathi said the BJP will be able to win 12 or 20 seats. Expect a Bijepur kind of result as Naveen Patnaik will again become the Chief Minister of Odisha after 2019 elections which will see a triangular fight, he said.

BJD vice-president and Rajya Sabha MP Prasanna Acharya ruled out any impact of assembly poll outcome in Tripura on Odisha. Referring to the statement of Oram that Bijepur by-poll results will have no effect in Odisha in 2019 assembly elections, Acharya said, “We think Tripura results will have no impact here.”

Leader of the opposition and Congress veteran Narasingh Mishra said though the Congress lost in Bijepur by-poll, it still has many supporters in Odisha who will vote for the party in 2019 election. “One should not be overjoyed or worried for a temporary win or defeat,” he said.