Five-time Odisha MLA Arabinda Dhali quits BJD, joins BJP
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Bhubaneswar: Five-time Odisha MLA Arabinda Dhali, along with retired IAS officer Hrusikesh Panda, joined the BJP on Sunday.
The move also witnessed the entry of former BJD MLA Mukunda Sodi, retired Air Marshal Dilip Kumar Patnaik, former joint secretary in Rajya Sabha Ramakanta Das, and BJD's Digapahandi block chairman Bipin Pradhan into the BJP fold.
Arabinda Dhali, who resigned from the ruling BJD on Saturday, formally joined the BJP at the party's office in Bhubaneswar. The joining ceremony was attended by state BJP president Manmohan Samal and MP Aparajita Sarangi, among others.
Speaking to the press, Arabinda Dhali alleged a lack of democracy within the BJD, emphasizing the neglect of senior leaders. He expressed his reasons for joining the BJP, stating, "After feeling suffocated, I left the BJD and joined the BJP, which has internal democracy."
Dhali, representing the Jaydev constituency in Khorda district, predicted that the BJP would secure over 100 seats in the state assembly, forming the next government. He initially entered the assembly in 1992 from the Malkangiri seat on a BJP ticket, later joining the BJD. He served as a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government and won the 2019 election from the Jayadev seat.
Retired IAS officer Hrusikesh Panda, a well-known fiction writer, also joined the BJP. The BJD downplayed the impact of Dhali's departure, attributing it to leaders with low winning chances seeking alternative options.
BJD spokesperson Swayam Prakash Mahapatra claimed that leaders leaving the BJD were those unlikely to secure nominations or involved in serious crimes. He accused the BJP of repeating the same mistakes made in 2019 by welcoming leaders from the BJD.
This move follows the recent entry of expelled BJD MLAs Pradeep Panigrahy and Prashant Jagdev into the BJP, along with former Minister Debasis Nayak switching sides. Another expelled BJD leader, Rajendra Das, and resigned Telkoi MLA Premanand Nayak are also anticipated to join the BJP soon.