BHUBANESHWAR: Senior leader Bijoy Mohapatra on Thursday returned to the BJP which he had left along with former Union Minister Dilip Ray on November 30.
Mohapatra said, he took the decision to return to BJP after talking to party's national president Amit Shah and other senior leaders. "We will work together for the development of the country putting aside all old differences and with elections round the corner, we are committed to bring about a change in Odisha," Mohapatra said after re-joining the party.
The senior leader who left the BJP on a bitter note said the party's national vice-president Baijayanat Panda and State in-charge Arun Singh met him at his residence and persuaded him to return. Besides, Shah spoke to me over the telephone.
Asked if will contest the 2019 polls, the former minister said he has left the decision to the party. "I will accept the responsibilities national committee of the party bestows on me," he added.
Welcoming back Mohapatra to the party, Panda said he requested the former to forget the past and join the BJP for the development of the state and the country. "I requested him (Bijoy) to let the bygones be bygones and he kept my request," Panda said while national BJP general secretary and Odisha in-charge Arun Singh said Mohapatra's inclusion will boost the party's poll prospects.
As far as Kendrapara constituency is concerned, Singh said, the BJP will come out with flying colours in the elections. "Party's Lok Sabha candidate Panda is certain to win the election by a much better margin than he did in the last polls and create a record in Kendrapara," Singh said.
Though Mohapatra and Ray had sent their resignation letter to national BJP president, sources said that their resignation had not been accepted. Mohapatra is speculated to be fielded from Patkura Assembly seat.
However, the political move of Ray who successfully contested from Rourkela Assembly seat in 2014 election on a BJP ticket is still uncertain. Though speculations were rife of his return to the BJD after Ray's meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the latter's residence couple of weeks ago, the former Union Minister has kept his move secrete.