New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Six-time MP from Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahtab, former Berhampur MP-actor Sidhant Mohapatra and noted Shantali writer Damayanti Beshra joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at its party’s headquarters in Delhi on Thursday.
They were inducted into the saffron fold in the presence of BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, national vice president Baijayant Panda and party state president Manmohan Samal.
Bhartruhari, the steady face of BJD from Cuttack since 1998, resigned from BJD on March 22, claiming that ‘Asura Shakti’ has taken firm grip over the party and government. His alleged saffron leaning, however, had already put a cloud on his renomination. He may fight from the same constituency in the upcoming elections albeit on BJP ticket.
The BJD has fielded former HR head of Aditya Birla Group Santrupt Misra, who joined the party last moth, as its MP candidate from Cuttack.
Sidhant had joined BJD in 2009 and successfully contested from Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency in the 2009. He was reelected in the 2014 general election by a margin of nearly 100,000 votes. The BJD, however, replaced the actor-turned-politician with Chandra Sekhar Sahu, a seasoned politician and the former union minister, in 2019 elections.
Beshra is a renowned litterateur of Santali language. She has received numerous awards and honours for her contribution to Odia and Santali literature. She was conferred with Padma Shri in 2020.
There has been an exodus of leaders from BJD to BJP ahead of the elections. Among them are popular Odia actor Arindam Roy, who is also the brother-in-law of BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das. A day after quitting BJD, Jayadev MLA Arabinda Dhali also joined the saffron party on March 3 along with former MLA from Malkangiri Mukunda Sodi, and former bureaucrat Hrusikesh Panda. Retired Air Marshal Dilip Kumar Patnaik, former joint secretary in Rajya Sabha Ramakanta Das, and BJD’s Digapahandi block chairman Bipin Pradhan also joined the BJP.
Two more sitting MLAs, Pradeep Panigrahi, Prashant Jagdev, who were earlier expelled from BJD, are now in saffron fold. Pradeep Panigrahi is also the BJP candidate for Berhampur Lok Sabha seat.
Another BJD senior tribal leader and former minister Balabhadra Majhi quit the party, alleging neglect, and joined the Congress.
On March 25, senior BJD leader and former Khalikote MLA Purna Chandra Sethy also resigned from the primary membership of the regional party.
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