Former Anandapur BJD MlA Bhagirathi Sethi on Saturday joined the BJP at a formal induction ceremony conducted at the BJP State office here. Sethi, who had failed to get party ticket in the last Assembly elections, was unhappy over BJD activities in Keonjhar district. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership, Sethi joined the BJP with hundreds of workers. Party’s Odisha Pravari Arun Singh, party president KV Singh Deo, senior
leaders Biswabhushan Harichandan, Bijay Mohapatra, Surama Padhi, Manmohan Samal, Nayan Mohanty and general secretary (organisation) Prasanna Mishra welcomed Sethi and others to the party fold.
The BJP also welcomed a prominent Congress leader of Jagatsinghpur district, Satyabrata Mohapatra, and his hundreds of workers into its fold. Dr Basanta Kumar Choudhury also joined the party along with his workers.
Among others, Rayagada’s noted Congress leader N Prakash Reddy, Nirmal Chandra Swain of Paradip, Baikuntha Pradhan of Khordha, BJD Nayagarh student wing president Pruthviraj Dalbehera and youth leader Tuku Patra and more than 50 leaders from the BJD, the Congress and other parties joined the BJP with their supporters.
Pravari Singh said the party would hit the target of membership drive to 30 lakh in the State. Bijay Mohapatra said the Congress would lose its significance in near future and the BJD would face severe intraparty crisis. “Congress will lose its address and nobody will be left in the BJD to distribute or demand party ticket,” he added.Singh Deo said the BJP would come to power in 2019 with a thumping majority. He called on the party workers to intensify campaigns across the State to reach out to the people.