Bhubaneswar: Veteran leader and five-time Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani is likely to join BJP at a time when BJD is trying to keep its flock together after the poll debacle in Odisha.
Sources said the former Parliamentarian, who had left for Delhi on Friday, has met several senior leaders of BJP in the national capital and he has made up his mind to join saffron party very soon.
While he was expected to formally join BJP on Friday, sources close to the senior leader said that his induction into the saffron party will take place very soon.
Patasani was stated to have proceeded to Delhi after a senior BJP leader and new-elected MP from Odisha invited him to the national capital.
Though Patasani was keen to contest from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat again this election, the BJD fielded newbie Manmath Routray, son of veteran leader Suresh Kumar Routray, ignoring him. The former MP had met the party leadership at Naveen Niwas following the announcement.
There was also an indication that he will be fielded from the Chilika Assembly segment with the sitting MLA Prashant Jagdev having been expelled from the party. However, his candidature met with stiff opposition from local leaders of Chilika.
Patasani had won the Bhubaneswar MP seat for five consecutive terms from 1998 to 2014.
After being denied ticket in 2019, Patasani had also claimed that the leadership had assured a Rajya Sabha berth for him. Though there were several opportunities before the party to nominate him to the upper house of Parliament, it never happened.
His son-in-law, Priyadarshi Mishra, has already switched sides to BJP and also contested the elections from Bhubaneswar-North.
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