BHUBANESWAR: In the run up to the elections, the Congress got a big boost with former union minister and senior leader Srikant Jena returning to the party on Wednesday. He joined the party at New Delhi in the presence of Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar.
Jena, a four-time MP and three-time MLA, told mediapersons he had always been a Congressman at heart. There was some misunderstanding which has been sorted out, he said adding, he has always worked for the Congress even when he was not in the party.
Stating he was happy to be back in the party again, Jena said there are challenges before the Congress in Odisha as both the BJD and BJP are moving towards an alliance. But Congress and INDIA bloc will defeat them as both these parties have been exposed.
It is speculated that Jena will contest from Balasore Lok Sabha seat. He, however, said it is for the party to decide whether he will contest the ensuing elections.
Jena was expelled from Congress in January, 2019 for his anti-party comments. He had openly challenged the leadership of the then president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik and resigned from positions in the party. He was member of the state executive and election committees.
Jena was the Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism minister in the HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral cabinet during the United Front government between June 29, 1996 to March 19, 1998 as Janata Dal leader. Later, as a Congress leader he was the minister of state (Independent charge) for Chemicals and Fertilisers and Statistics and programme implementation in the second UPA government led by Manmohan Singh.