Another Odisha Politician Calls On Telangana CM Ahead BRS’s Nationwide Operations

Bhubaneswar: After Giridhar Gamang, former Koraput MP Jayaram Pangi called on Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. He posted about the meeting on his Facebook account on Monday.

“Only time will tell,” said Pangi when asked about joining BRS.

The four-time MLA from Pottangi constituency, Pangi won the Koraput Lok Sabha seat on a BJD ticket in 2009 and joined BJP in 2017. He lost to Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka of Congress in 2019 Lok Sabha election while contesting as a BJP candidate. He formed Dandakaranya Parvatmala Vikash Parishad (DPVP) and had been working towards the formation of a union territory by including certain areas of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.

His resignation from the primary membership of the BJP in April 2022 then led to speculation that he might rejoin the ruling BJD.

On January 13, the meeting of former chief minister of Odisha Gamang and his son Shishir Gamang with KCR at Pragathi Bhavan prompted chatter about the possibility of him joining the regional party of Telangana. At present, they are in the BJP.

Though an official release described it as a ‘courtesy meeting’, it assumed significance as BRS is scheduled to kick start its nationwide operations with a massive public meeting at Khammam on January 18. Along with KCR, three chief ministers – Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerela), Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), and Bhagwanth Singh Mann (Punjab) and several other national leaders, including Uttar Pradesh former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, are scheduled to attend the meeting.

Notably, Giridhar helmed the Congress government in Odisha for some months in 1999. The KCR has been elected to power for two successive terms since Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

Also Read: Will Former Odisha CM Giridhar Gamang & His Son Quit BJP To Join BRS?