India, March 23 -- A little more than two weeks after the cryptic statement of Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) that it would "take all steps to for the greater interests of people of Odisha" - signalling the onset of discussion on an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its principal opponent in the state, the talks were abruptly called off by the BJP on Friday, with the party's state unit president Manmohan Samal announcing this on social media site X.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party will fight alone this time in all 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats of Odisha to create a developed India and a developed Odisha under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi. We feel that in all the states that have dual-engine governme...