A spokesperson and the secretary of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee have joined BJD
Raj Narayan Mohapatra, the secretary of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) and the son of former Congress MLA Sitakanta Mohapatra of the Barchana Assembly seat, joined BJD on Wednesday along with his followers, dealing a blow to the Congress ahead of the polls.
According to sources, Raj Narayan is being considered to challenge six-term MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy in the Barchana Assembly seat. Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra welcomed Raj Narayan to the BJD. According to Patra, Raj Narayan’s joining the Congress workers in Barchana would further strengthen the BJD organization.
However, the Barchana MLA in office at the time of the joining ceremony was absent. Raj Narayan expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for allowing him and the workers to join the party. Raj Narayan said that he was motivated by the chief minister’s people-focused efforts and that he is ready to take on whatever tasks that the party assigns him.
In addition, state spokesman Kailash Mukhi, a prominent Congress politician from Kandhamal district, left the party and joined the BJD in the presence of finance minister Bikram Keshari Arukha and organizational secretary Pranab Prakash Das. Mukhi promised to boost the BJD in the district of Kandhamal.
