Elections 2019: Three BJD MLAs, 3 former legislators join BJP

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha seems to be in hot water as its leaders who once helped the party withstand the challenge of Modi wave that had swept India’s political landscape in the 2014 polls are joining hands with the BJP thick and fast.

Dasapalla MLA Purna Chandra Nayak, Nilagiri MLA Sukant Nayak and Aska legislator Debraj Mohanty today joined the BJP along with their supporters at a Mishrana Parva organised at the State party headquarters in Bhubaneswar today. Similarly, former legislator of Paralakhemundi K Narayan Rao joined the saffron party along with former Dasapalla and Polasara MLAs Kasinath Mallick and Niranjan Pradhan, respectively.

Moreover, BJD's candidate for Sundergarh Assembly seat in 2014, Kusum Tete and Congress leader Nilamani Bisoyi also joined the BJP today in presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, State party unit chief Basant Panda and senior leader KV Singh Deo among others.

"The party (BJD) for which I worked so hard, tortured me. The mental torture that was meted out by the party had become unbearable. I thank the BJP for accepting me and helping me get rid of that mental torture," said Nilagiri MLA, Sukant Nayak.

A 'hurt', Kusum Tete said, "I promise to work for the party (BJP) with full dedication and abide by the principles and directions of the party."

Meanwhile, incidents of BJD workers openly disproving party supremo Naveen Patnaik's ticket selection were also witnessed in several Assembly constituencies of Gajapati, Boudh, Puri and Kandhamal districts.