Naveen has maintained an equidistant from the BJP as well as the Congress. He has not been seen in any Opposition unity meetings. He skipped Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in. BJD was earlier part of the NDA but left in 2009. The entire politics of BJD has been instituted on an anti-Congress plank.

The BJP has recently upped the ante in Odisha with Mission 120+ threatening to dislodge BJD from power. This has put Naveen Patnaik in a quandary. Supporting the BJP could mar his chances in Odisha. But supporting Trinamool would portray him as being on the same page as the Congress. However, the only subtle difference here is that, he will be supporting a regional party candidate which happens to be also supported by the Congress.

The BJP could persuade Patnaik to refrain, but this would reduce its strength to 235 with 118 required for victory. UPA plus anti-BJP forces are already at a 119.