BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal Lok Sabha chief whip Tathagata Satpathy has in a series of tweets accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to split BJD to push Odisha into early elections.Assembly elections in Odisha take place simultaneously with Lok Sabha elections and are due only in 2019. “BJP is hard at work to divide BJD in Parliament, maybe even in assembly. They want AIADMK type split. They want to take away BJD’s party name and symbol. Rumours afloat that only one MP will swing this deal for them. Ha!” tweeted Satpathy.The BJD had won 20 of Odisha’s 21LS seats in 2014. Reacting to the accusation, petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from the state, said: “If the government in Odisha is in sync with that in Centre, there will be faster development of the state. Our party is strengthening its base in Odisha.If a political rival is scared, Ican’t help it.” While Satpathy declined to name the ‘one MP,’ his colleague Baijayant Jay Panda in an emoji-riddled tweet said: “He speaks w/expertise, having once been suspended from BJD & joined another party. I don't have such experience, so will defer to his.” Panda did not respond to messages and calls for a comment at the time of going to press.Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has weathered several storms in his 17 years at the helm of BJD, named after his father.In 2002 six out of 10 Lok Sabha MPs, including Prasanna Patsani, Prasanna Acharya, Bhartruhari Mahatab and Satpathy had revolted against BJD’s choice of chief whip and sought to be recognised as the `real’ BJD parliamentary group. Panda’s generous praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies and alleged fallout Patnaik has led to speculation over his future course.Some of his colleagues, who spoke to ETon condition of anonymity, however, alleged that BJP leaders were also wooing a former chief minister’s son and a member with strong rightwing leanings. Adding to the intrigue, the BJD officially distanced from the Satpathy’s tweets and termed it as the “personal views” of its MPs.“The party is united under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik. Those who have defied it in the past have been shown their right place by the public later on,” said spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb.Reacting to the development, Odisha BJP leader Suresh Pujari said, “Apprehending with imminent loss in 2019, the BJD is beginning to crumble.And many of its MPs and MLAs feel suffocated and are unhappy with Patnaik’s government. While our doors are open, we are building our home with our own hard work.” The BJP’s next national executive meet is scheduled in Bhubaneshwar next month.Ever since the rural polls that saw BJP making gains, the state has been abuzz with political speculation that picked up after anewly-elected Rajya Sabha MP was asked to quit his post. The met department’s prediction of a scorching summer looks valid for Odisha politics too.