BHUBANESWAR: Ending the speculation of several months, senior leader and former MP Baijayant Panda joined BJP in New Delhi on Monday in presence of State leaders including Union Ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan.
“It is no secret that I admire Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the direction in which he has taken the country and also national BJP president Amit Shah’s leadership which made BJP not only the largest party in the country but in the world,” Panda said after joining the saffron party.
Panda’s political future remained uncertain after his suspension from the BJD in January following a bitter feud with Chief Minister and president of the regional party Naveen Patnaik. After resigning from the BJD on May 28, Panda was weighing the option of joining one of the two national parties - BJP or Congress - or floating a new political outfit to take on the ruling BJD.
Though Panda had never publicly stated his keenness on joining the BJP, speculations were rife for the last couple of months about his taking a plunge into the saffron party. In the last nine months after resigning from the Lok Sabha membership, Panda had been maintaining that he is in consultation with people to decide his future course of action.
However, his single point agenda during the public consultation was to attack the BJD and its leadership on poor governance and deteriorating law and order.
A visible face in the Lutyens Delhi, an articulate ‘Jay’ Panda drew the wrath of the BJD chief for his apparent closeness to the ruling NDA and lavishing praises on the programmes and policies of Narendra Modi Government at the Centre.
Claiming to be a founder member of the BJD, Panda started his political career with nomination to Rajya Sabha twice by the regional party from 2000 to 2009. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kendrapara in 2009 and 2014.
Welcoming Panda, Pradhan said his inclusion in the BJP will strengthen the party which is fast emerging as an alternative to the ruling BJD. Shah later greeted Panda in the party office. State BJP president Basant Panda, leader of the BJP legislature party KV Singhdeo and party’s national general secretary in-charge of Odisha Arun Singh were present.