The BJP will keep an open mind if other parties want to join their coalition seeing the national mood, which the exit polls show is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's favour, said party vice president Baijayant Jay Panda who recently left BJD to join BJP.

"My Party president Amit Shah has said that we are confident of getting more than 300 seats. We will form the government with NDA allies. If other parties seeing the national mood want to also join in, I think, BJP will keep an open mind," BJP's Baijayant Jay Panda told media on being asked if BJD will support NDA.

"All exit polls are showing that BJP has dramatically grown in Odisha. The BJP will form the government in Odisha and get a majority in Lok Sabha. In Odisha, people have seen the Modi government has been taking strong political decisions, which were not easy, whether on the economic or security front. Naveen Patnaik has been chief minister for 19 years, but last five years witnessed a dramatic departure of his party's image and reputation due to rising crimes and corruption in the state," he added.

He further cornered Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik saying that he had attacked him personally in several interviews.

 "The BJD has long considered that Kendrapara is its seat, I represented the seat as a BJD member. People have seen how I was eliminated and moved away from BJD. For whatsoever reason, it little unusual that Patnaik seemed to focus extra on Kendrapara and attacked me personally in many interviews. But then, I had to give a strong response to allegations levelled against me. He spent two days in Kendrapara but he neglected other seats where campaigning was underway," he remarked.

Elections for 542 Lok Sabha seats were held between April 11 and May 19 with the counting of votes scheduled for May 23.

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