A senior Youth Congress leader, detained by the police during the visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to Sambalpur on Tuesday, joined the ruling BJD with his supporters on Thursday.
Satish Bisi, who was in the Congress for 18 years, joined the BJD at a grand function organised by the district unit of the BJD in the presence of BJD district president Rohit Pujari, Bijay Mohanty, Sanatan Bisi and several other senior leaders of the ruling party.
A procession covering the town with more than 500 two-wheelers and nearly 1,000 youths was organised on the occasion.