No third front as far as I go: Naveen

New Delhi, May 11

In the first major blow to the Opposition’s attempts at forging a pan-India anti-BJP alliance, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said his party would go it alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“There is no question of a third front as far as I am concerned. Not now,” Patnaik told the media after having met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here to discuss development projects related to the state.

Patnaik, who has been serving as Odisha CM since 2000, making him the longest-serving CM of the state, said his party would not ally with the Opposition for General Election.

Patnaik’s remarks came two days after he met his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, who is currently on a mission to unite non-BJP parties for the 2024 elections, and on a day when Nitish met NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai.

Nitish had yesterday met Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren to advance an anti-BJP alliance having earlier met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal. — TNS

JD(U) ex-president RCP Singh joins BJP

Former JD-U chief RCP Singh on Thursday joined the BJP and attacked his once political mentor and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, claiming he had allegedly been compromising in his pursuit for power. “Nitish used to say that he was against crime and corruption. Today, he has joined hands with those against whom he once struggled,” said Singh.