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BJD leader crosses over to BJP

Archana Nayak

BHUBANESWAR: Prominent leader from Kendrapara district Archana Nayak, who had resigned from the Biju Janata Dal on Friday, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday.

Ms. Nayak was welcomed to the BJP fold by party’s State unit president Suresh Pujari, and senior leader Biswabhushan Harichandan at the party’s State headquarters here.

Addressing a press conference on the occasion, Ms. Nayak alleged that she quit the BJD as the party was not being run in a democratic way.

Observing that Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik had little hold over the party, Ms. Nayak alleged that the party was being run in an autocratic manner by Rajya Sabha MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra.

She further alleged that it was Mr. Mohapatra who had engineered the split in the BJD-BJP alliance by showing false survey reports to Mr. Patnaik that the BJD could win the coming elections on its own.

Ms. Nayak had quit the Congress and joined the BJD a few days before the 2004 general elections, and was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Kendrapara seat.

Sources, however, said that Ms. Nayak decided to resign from the BJD as there was speculation that she would not be given the party ticket to contest from Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat or any Assembly segment in her home district.

About her contesting the coming polls as a BJP nominee, Ms. Nayak said that she would go by the party’s decision.

The sources in the BJP said that Ms. Nayak may be given a party ticket to contest from either Mahakalpada or Patkura Assembly segment in Kendrapara.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders in the State and New Delhi were making efforts to rope in more and more leaders who were opposed to the Chief Minister.

BJP sources said that former Union Minister Dilip Ray and former president of the State unit of the Nationalist Congress Party Bijoy Mohapatra were likely to join the party soon.

The party was also striving to attract a few disgruntled leaders of the BJD before finalising the list of its candidates for the coming twin polls.

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