Bhubaneswar: Kharavela Swain, president of the Utkal Bharat, formally joined the BJP here on Monday.
Swain joined the party in presence of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other senior leaders at the party office here. Swain also said that he will contest the Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat.
Swain was elected to the Lok Sabha thrice as a BJP member. He was elected to 12th Lok Sabha in 1998, re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha in 1999 and for the third time to the lower house in 2004 from Balasore.
Speaking on the occasion, Swain said he has been immensely influenced by the vision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has made India a world power in five years.
He further said that he has voluntarily joined the BJP to oust the BJD government in Odisha which has become utterly corrupt.
