Another Odisha MLA Set To Join BJP After Quitting BJD Ahead Of Elections

Bhubaneswar: After quitting Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Telkoi MLA and former minister Premananda Nayak is reported to be getting ready to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) very soon ahead of the twin elections in the state.

As per reports, the senior leader from Keonjhar district is likely to join BJP in the presence of senior saffron party leaders at a ‘Misran Parba’ on Monday.

Notably, Jaidev MLA and former Minister Arabinda Dhali joined BJP on Sunday after resigning from BJD. Apart from Dhali, two other sitting MLAs Pradeep Panigrahi and Prasant Jagadev, who had been expelled from BJD, joined the saffron party in the state recently.

After resigning from BJD, Nayak had told the media that he felt sidelined in the regional party. “I was denied access to CM and could not meet him to raise my concerns about the party. We were not happy with inclusion of a former ‘defeated’ Congress leader in BJD before the Panchayat election. It affected the unity in the party and led to factionalism. I tried to raise this issue but in vain. Following which, I decided to quit the party,” he said.

Notably, former Champua MLA Dhanurjay Sidu had joined the BJD in Bhubaneswar about 6-7 months before the Panchayat elections. He was the BJP candidate from Telkoi in 2019 elections and had lost to Nayak by almost 6000 votes. Sidu is believed to have started a parallel organisation within the party, leading to discontent.