Bhubaneswar: As expected, Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, who has been expelled from BJD, has joined the BJP here today.
Shri Panigrahy, a firebrand leader from Ganjam district and three-time MLA, joined the BJP here at party headquarters in presence of State BJP President Manmohan Samal and other senior leaders.
Pradeep joined the BJP just a day before Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to his constituency in Ganjam district.
Shri Samal welcomed Panigrahy to the party fold and said his joining will strengthen the BJP not only in Ganjam district but also in the entire State.
Speaking on this occasion, the MLA Shri Panigrahy said time has arrived to build a strong and resilient Odisha and a developed nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He appealed to the people to root out the deaf, dumb and blind BJD government and form a peaceful and development-oriented people’s government in the State in this upcoming election.
The BJP party, which is committed to work on ‘Odia first and Odisha first’ principle, should be given a chance to rule the State, he said.
“Naveen Babu has formed Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and formed a government in the State with the blessings of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpaye. But, later, for his own political gain, he left the BJP,” Shri Panigrahy alleged.
“I request the people of Odisha to give a single chance to the BJP. PM Modi has done a lot of things to bring glory for the state and Odias. Many Odias have been appointed in key positions at national level,” he said.
It is worthwhile to mention that Pradeep was arrested by the Crime Branch on December 3, 2020 for his alleged involvement in a job fraud case and was released on bail in June, 2021. He was expelled from BJD’s primary membership on December 4, 2020. Since then, the Gopalpur MLA has been targeting the ruling party and the government on various occasions.
With the joining of Shri Panigragy in the BJP, it is almost certain that there will be a tough fight between the BJP and BJD at least for the upcoming State Legislative Assembly polls.