Ex-BJD Leaders Arjun Sethi, Mohan Jena Join BJP

Bhubaneswar: Sitting Bhadrak MP Arjun Charan Sethi (BJD), his son Abhimanyu Sethi and former Jajpur MP Mohan Jena (BJD) joined the BJP on Saturday.

Arjun Sethi and his son joined the BJP at the party headquarters in Bhubaneswar in the presence of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other senior leaders. Sources said Sethi was likely to be fielded from Bhadrak in the forthcoming election.

Sethi had resigned from the primary membership of the BJD earlier in the day, expressing displeasure over ticket distribution. He had sent his resignation letter to party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

He had won the Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat twice, as a Congress candidate in 1971 and 1980 and as a Janata Dal candidate in 1991. He was re-elected from the same seat in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 on a BJD ticket.

Also on Saturday, two-time Jajpur MP Mohan Jena joined the BJP. He had resigned from the ruling BJD on Thursday.

Jena was elected as Jajpur MP on a BJD ticket in the 14th Lok Sabha polls in 2004 and went on to win the seat for the second time in 2009.