BHUBANESWAR: As primary competitors, BJD and BJP persevered to engineer defections from every different's rank and record, an MP, an MLA and the nephew of a best flesh presser switched party loyalties on Saturday. Another MP is most probably to do so on Sunday.
Two days after he hand over the ruling BJD, Balabhadra Majhi, sitting MP from Nabarangpur, crossed over to BJP on Saturday. He was the third giant chief associated with BJD to have defected to the saffron party. Before him, Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, who used to be as soon as BJD's face in New Delhi, and Damodar Rout, a former state minister and close aide of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, joined BJP.
Soon after he joined BJP at its nationwide headquarters in New Delhi, Balabhadra instructed the media, "I felt ignored and unwanted in BJD even though I gave my 100 per cent to my constituency. I am now in BJP so that I can serve my area in a more effective manner."
BJP sources said their party used to be more likely to field Balabhadra in Nabarangpur that he represented in the Lok Sabha on behalf of BJD previous. Prior to his defection to BJP, there have been experiences that BJD would exchange Balabhadra with Ramesh Majhi, sitting MLA from Jharigam, in Nabarangpur, a scheduled tribe-reserved seat.
In 2014, Balabhadra had left the Railways where he worked as an engineer, to join politics. "His popularity in tribal areas will help us immensely," Union minister Jual Oram said. His ministerial colleague, Dharmendra Pradhan, too, said Balabhadra's becoming a member of would support BJP in the state.
Looking unperturbed, state finance minister Shashi Bhusan Behera said, "Such things (desertions) keep happening during elections. Decisions of individual leaders will not have any impact on BJD's poll prospects."
If BJD lost Balabhadra to BJP, it were given Harischandra Panda, a nephew of the saffron party's state chief, Basanta Panda, into its fold.
Two days after he hand over the ruling BJD, Balabhadra Majhi, sitting MP from Nabarangpur, crossed over to BJP on Saturday. He was the third giant chief associated with BJD to have defected to the saffron party. Before him, Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, who used to be as soon as BJD's face in New Delhi, and Damodar Rout, a former state minister and close aide of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, joined BJP.
Soon after he joined BJP at its nationwide headquarters in New Delhi, Balabhadra instructed the media, "I felt ignored and unwanted in BJD even though I gave my 100 per cent to my constituency. I am now in BJP so that I can serve my area in a more effective manner."
BJP sources said their party used to be more likely to field Balabhadra in Nabarangpur that he represented in the Lok Sabha on behalf of BJD previous. Prior to his defection to BJP, there have been experiences that BJD would exchange Balabhadra with Ramesh Majhi, sitting MLA from Jharigam, in Nabarangpur, a scheduled tribe-reserved seat.
In 2014, Balabhadra had left the Railways where he worked as an engineer, to join politics. "His popularity in tribal areas will help us immensely," Union minister Jual Oram said. His ministerial colleague, Dharmendra Pradhan, too, said Balabhadra's becoming a member of would support BJP in the state.
Looking unperturbed, state finance minister Shashi Bhusan Behera said, "Such things (desertions) keep happening during elections. Decisions of individual leaders will not have any impact on BJD's poll prospects."
If BJD lost Balabhadra to BJP, it were given Harischandra Panda, a nephew of the saffron party's state chief, Basanta Panda, into its fold.
Saffron party gets Naveen MP, BJD ropes in BJP chief's kin
![Saffron party gets Naveen MP, BJD ropes in BJP chief's kin]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
March 18, 2019
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