A day after snapping ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party at the state level, the Biju Janata Dal on Monday sent mixed signals on its strategy for the Lok Sabha polls, saying it is 'still part of the National Democratic Alliance'.
"We are still part of the NDA. Therefore, it will be premature to say anything now on the role of the BJD in national politics," said BJD's secretary general Damodar Rout, adding things would be clear once the polls were over.
The BJD's stance drew flak from the BJP.
"The BJD is misleading all by saying it is part of the NDA. How can a party be a member of the NDA while forging pre-poll alliance with the Left parties and the Nationalist Congress Party," asked BJP's youth wing leader and Member of Parliament Dharmendra Pradhan. On its part, the NCP is wooing BJD for a broader electoral tie-up.
"I am personally in touch with Patnaik since the severance of the 11-year old tie between the BJP and the BJD two days ago," said P A Sangma, NCP National General Secretary.
With BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik being non-committal about joining the Third Front, the indications are that the party would await the results of the Lok Sabha elections before deciding its future course of action.
