Bhubaneswar: The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which has faced a debacle in the recently concluded Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha, should merge with the Congress party, opined Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka today.

The BJD could not win a single Lok Sabha seat of the total 21 in Odisha in 2024 polls. The BJP got 20 seats while Congress party managed to retain Koraput Lok Sabha seat in the state.

The Naveen Patnaik-led party lost power in Odisha after it managed to win only 51 Assembly seats of the total 147 in the state. The BJP formed its maiden government in Odisha after winning 78 seats.

“The BJD was earlier supporting the BJP-led government at the Centre in Parliament on many issues. The regional party was ready to enter into an electoral alliance with BJP just before the 2024 polls. Now, the party has realized the real face of BJP. BJD MPs have recently staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha along with the members of INDI alliance to protest against the speech of the Prime Minister. The BJD leadership should consult with our high command and merged the regional party with Congress,” said the two-time MP.

The Congress MP claimed that the people of Odisha could not get any benefit from the central government even though the regional party supported BJP on various issues in the Parliament for at least five years.