Bhubaneswar: The Odisha unit of Congress on Thursday took significant strides towards forming a coalition with Left and other like-minded parties to take on the ruling BJD and BJP in the upcoming elections in the state. This move mirrors a similar initiative undertaken at the Central level against the NDA.

In the initial phase, a joint campaign will be launched to address the alleged anti-people policies of the BJD government in Odisha and the BJP-led government at the Centre. To kickstart the collaborative effort, a state-level joint convention of Congress and other like-minded political parties is scheduled for the first week of August. During this convention, the issues on which the campaign will be centered against both the state government and the Centre will be selected, said Sarat Pattanayak, the president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), after a party meeting.

The campaign will encompass a series of public meetings, demonstrations, and roadshows to be held across various locations in the state, targeting both the Odisha government and the Centre.

While the contentious issue of seat sharing for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections was not discussed during the meeting, it is expected to be addressed in due course. Janardan Pati, the state secretary of CPM, stated that discussions on seat-sharing would commence once the Congress and Left parties identify the issues they both agree upon.