Bargarh: A day after quitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Bijepur legislator Ashok Panigrahy said that he will lend support from outside to ruling BJD. This announcement from Panigrahy is crucial as Bijepur by-election is scheduled for October 21.
“After consulting my supporters, I have decided to lend support from outside to BJD hoping for development in my region. I will not join the BJD for the ongoing campaigning. However, I will campaign from my side for BJD candidate,” Panigrahy told Orissa POST.
“BJP has just used me and threw me out. The party has just used me during the Bijepur by-poll held February 2018 and after that I was kept away from the party. The BJP leaders neither contacted me nor did the party involve me in any kind of activity in general election and the ensuing by-election,” he said.
Panigrahy was elected to the Assembly from BJD ticket in 2000. However, he was expelled from the party in 2014 after he had contested as an independent candidate against BJD’s official candidate Prasanna Acharya, who lost narrowly to his Congress rival. During that time, he independently got 18,232 votes. Ahead of Bijepur by-election in February 2018, the leader had joined the saffron camp and became a party candidate for the by-poll but lost.
He was denied ticket for the 2019 general election and this by-poll as the party had nominated Sanath Gartia.