Bhubaneswar: In a major blow to Biju Janata Dal (BJD), three members of the family of veteran leader from Bhadrak and former minister Prafulla Samal joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
Sources said Samal’s sons Prayaskanti and Pranitkanti, his sister Urmila Nayak and their supporters joined the saffron party at its state headquarters in Bhubaneswar in the presence of BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal and other senior leaders.
A former chairperson of Bhadrak municipality and a state secreta
ry of BJD, Prayaskanti had resigned from the regional party in May this year.
Similarly, Urmila Nayak, chairperson of Bhadrak Sadar block (Panchayat Samiti), along with the chairpersons of three other blocks had resigned from BJD a few days ago.
The joining ceremony took place amid enthusiasm, drumbeats and fireworks, as Prayaskanti arrived at the BJP office with more than a hundred supporters.
The development came as a severe jolt to the BJD’s organisational strength in Bhadrak as the block presidents of Bhadrak, Bont, Bhandaripokhari, and Basudevpur also joined the BJP under Prayaskanti’s leadership.
This apart, around 30 Sarpanches and 35 Panchayat Samiti members in Bhadrak district also joined the BJP.
It may be noted that Prafulla Samal had been elected to the state Assembly from Bhadrak and Bhandaripokhari constituencies six times on Janata Dal and BJD tickets in the past. He had also served as a minister in the state.