Former Congress MLA Krushna Sagaria joins BSP

Bhubaneswar: After his expulsion from Congress, former Koraput MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria today joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) at a special function organised in Bhubaneswar. Earlier, Sagaria along with former union minister Srikant Jena were expelled from the Congress for indulging in anti-party activities.

Sagaria said he was willing to take on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the next Assembly elections.

"If Mayawati (BSP President) allows, I am prepared to contest against Patnaik from any Assembly constituency he contests in the upcoming polls," Sagaria said.

Sagaria joined the BSP in the presence of the party's senior leader Dharamveer Singh.

Citing failure to provide justice to Kunduli gang rape victim, Sagaria had quit from the post of the legislator on November 6, 2018. He had then stirred the hornet’s nest by alleging a secret deal between Congress and the BJD.

Congress had dismissed Sagaria from the party on disciplinary grounds on January 19, 2019.

Party leader Dharamveer Singh said the party will fight elections at all the 147 Assembly and 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in the State. The ruling-BJD government has troubled our friends and we will give a befitting reply to it during the upcoming elections.

(With agency inputs)