Bhubaneswar: Four years after he was expelled from the BJD, Gopalpur MLA and former Odisha minister Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi Wednesday joined the BJP.
He joined the saffron party in the presence of its state chief Manmohan Samal.
Panigrahi was expelled from the ruling party in 2020 for being involved in “anti-people activities”.
A three-time lawmaker from Gopalpur in Ganjam district had earlier served as a higher education minister in the state government.
Alleging that the BJD dispensation in the state has been “arrogant and autocratic”, he vowed to oust the Naveen Patnaik government.
Samal welcomed Panigrahi to the BJP and said the former state minister would strengthen the party in Ganjam.
“The BJP will emerge stronger in Ganjam and neighbouring districts with his entry to the party,” he said.
Senior BJD leader Ramesh Chandra Chayupatnaik claimed that Panigrah joining the saffron camp will have “no impact on Ganjam district politics”.
PTI