Even as the contest between the BJD and the BJP to win the Bijepur Assembly by-election is heating up, the Barpali NAC Chairperson, Vice-Chairman and six Councillors quit the Congress joined the BJD at the Naveen Niwas here on Sunday. The NAC is part of the Bijepur constituency.
BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed them and said “I am happy that all the Congress Councillors, chairperson and vice-chairman and Odisha Pradesh Youth Congress general secretary of Bijepur Assembly constituency have joined the BJD. I welcome them to our party and their joining will strengthen BJD,” said Patnaik.
Patnaik also rubbished the allegation that the BJD is poaching on the leaders and workers of other parties to strengthen the party. Speaking to reporters, he said, “That is not correct.”
The Congress has been accusing the BJD of luring its leaders to strengthen its party since the joining of late Bijepur Congress MlA Subal Sahu’s wife Rita Sahu in the BJD.
The Congress had earlier alleged that the BJD was not getting a suitable candidate for the bypoll even after 17 years of its rule and so it is trying to strengthen the party by luring Congress leaders.
Meanwhile, while the BJD has been holding hectic parleys among its leaders and workers of Bargarh district to prepare strategies for the Bijepur by-poll and curb intraparty fighting, a section of party workers on Sunday held a meeting at Bijepur and demanded no responsibility should be given to Prabhat Aditya Mishra as he has indulged in “anti- party activities”.