Bhubaneswar: A large number of leaders from Sambalpur joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after resigning from Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha.
The new entrants were welcomed by senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra on behalf of party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Prominent among the leaders who joined the regional party were Ashutosh Swain, who was OPCC secretary and state Congress OBC cell vice chairman, Plaban Bohidar, who was. Sambalpur district Youth Congress president and Giresh Chandra Pruseth, NSUI’s Sambalpur district president,
The newly inducted leaders also included Sekh Hasim, Saroj Banchor, Bikash Behera, Nilakhanta Mesua, Mukesh Nayak and Dibakar Bag.
Speaking on the occasion, Swain said many leaders are now leaving Congress and joining BJD after being inspired by speedy development taking place in the state under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik.
Stating that the ruling BJD has been further strengthened in Sambalpur with the entry of so many leaders from Congress, they expressed the hope that the regional party will register victory in Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat and all the Assembly segments under it.
