Bhubaneswar: In a boost to Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bhadrak Municipal Municipality Chairperson Gulmaki Dalawzi Habib joined the ruling party ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha.
Gulmaki, stated to be the first Muslim woman to head a municipality in the state, joined BJD along with a large number of supporters at Sankha Bhawan, the party headquarters in Bhubaneswar.
She joined the regional party in the presence of former Minister Prafulla Samal, BJD’s Bhadrak district observer Sanjay Das Burma, V K Pandian and several other senior leaders.
Gulmaki, who had won the civic polls as an independent candidate, said she decided to join after being inspired by party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s dynamic and progressive policies and programmes.
Welcoming Gulmaki, senior BJD leaders said her entry would further strengthen the party in Bhadrak ahead of the twin elections,
