Bhubaneswar: Many senior leaders from BJP and Congress will join BJD soon, said Panchayati Raj minister Pradeep Maharathy today.
"Leaders from both BJP and Congress, those who have power and public support, will join the ruling party," said Maharathy.
Besides, questioning the leadership of BJP and Congress in the State, Maharathy raised doubts over an eligible Chief Ministerial candidate in both parties. "Who is the Chief Ministerial candidate of Congress and BJP?" the minister asked.
However, Maharathy's statements have not gone down well with both the Congress and BJP. BJP's legislature party leader, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said "Pradeep Maharathy was in BJP earlier and is now interested to come back.”
The Chief Ministerial candidate is declared before the elections or is decided after the elections in the parliamentary board meeting, he added.
Opposition party chief whip and Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati quipped BJD can take the unwanted leaders from the party. Congress has many eligible leaders who can become the next Chief Minister.
"Two to three unwanted leaders in the party may join the BJD. Congress is an old party, a national party; does it have a dearth of Chief Ministerial candidates? There are Niranjan Patnaik and Narasingha Mishra," said Bahinipati.
Many leaders from Congress and BJD have joined BJP in the last few months. Many Congress leaders have also joined the BJD. Who else is going to jump ship in near future will decide the outcome of 2019 elections, believe experts.
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