Odisha MLA Arabinda Dhali joins BJP after quitting BJD

Bhubaneswar: Jayadev MLA Arabinda Dhali joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a day after resigning from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

The legislator was inducted into the BJP in presence of state unit of party president Manmohan Samal, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and other senior leaders during a programme here today.

Speaking at the event, he targeted the government terming it as ‘anti-people’.

“The leaders in the BJD are feeling suffocated. I remained in the BJD for the last 15 years but did not get satisfaction. The senior leaders are being ignored. The youth leaders, who are dominating the party, are reluctant to accept that ‘Old is Gold’. The gold has turned iron in the party,” Dhali said after joining the BJP.

Revealing the extent of humiliation in the BJD, he said, “Even as I am the MLA, the BJD is projecting three others for the ticket. I was betrayed. In the past five years, the presence of MLAs, leaders, ministers was hardly felt in the administration.”

“There is no freedom and democracy in Odisha. There is no respect in the BJD. The party is alluring the voters with freebies and welfare programmes. But the aware voters will give a befitting reply to the party. The party, where I could not stay, nobody else can survive there,” further he said.

Dhali  informed about his resignation from the BJD yesterday.

The five-time MLA currently represents Jayadev Constituency in Bhubaneswar.

He was first elected to Odisha Legislative Assembly from Malkangiri Constituency on BJP ticket in bye-election in 1992. He retained the seat for two consecutive terms on the BJP ticket from 1995-2000 and 2000-2004. He joined the BJD and was elected to the Assembly from Jayadev Constituency in 2009. He won the Assembly polls from Jayadev on BJD ticket in 2019.

During his tenure, he was given ministerial berth in Naveen’s cabinet in various departments like Co-Operation, Textiles & Handloom and Commerce and Transport between 2000 and 2004.