Bimbadhar Kuanr quits BJP, joins BJD

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Mar 10, 2014 at 6:21 PM Updated On : Mar 11, 2014 at 8:58 AM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Mar 10:

Senior BJP leader, former minister and former president of the state unit of the BJP Bimbadhar Kuanr resigned from the party and joined the ruling BJD today.

College student among 3 mowed down by truck on NH-55 in Odisha’s Angul

Miscreants attack councilor’s brother, resort to blank firing at Odisha’s Khallikote

Kunar, a former MLA from Bhatli, met Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Nivas where he announced his joining the BJD.

“I was being consistently sidelined in the BJP,” the former party president said after joining the ruling party.

Welcoming Kuanr into the party, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik said his entry would be a ‘tremendous asset’ to the party.

Kuanr, it may be noted, was Labour and Employment minister in the first BJD-BJP coalition government headed by Naveen Patnaik in 2000.

Reacting to Kuanr’s move, the state president of the BJP KV Singhdeo said the senior leader was unhappy because he wanted the party ticket for the Lok Sabha seat. However, the party decided to offer him the ticket for an assembly seat.

“The party never sidelined or ignored him. His allegation is not true,” Singhdeo said.