In an apparent attempt to decimate the Congress bastion in the Utkal University, the ruling BJD on Sunday inducted 10 Congress student leaders, including two-time State president of Student Congress Chinmoy Sahoo.
Three former students’ union presidents of the Utkal University Chinmoy Sahoo, Prakash Kumar Tripathy and Tanmay Swain joined the ruling party along with seven other student leaders of the Congress, Trilochan Behera, Satish Sharma, Pabitra Mohapatra, Mahabir Mohapatra, Bismay Stalin, Satyabrat Mohanty and Smrutiranjan Samal. Tripathy was general secretary of the Youth Congress and Swain was national delegate of the NSUI, while Sharma was president of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) students’ union.
“They will be great assets for the party,” said BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while welcoming them into the party.
Commenting on their decision to switch over to the BJD, Chinmoy said, “Congress leadership has betrayed us. Now, we will all work under the able leadership of Naveen Patnaik.”
Sources said Sahoo joined the ruling party after he was promised a corporation chief-post.