Former BJD MP joins BJP ahead of polls

Former Lok Sabha MP of Biju Janta Dal, Baijayant Panda joined Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday. Panda said that he admires the leadership of PM Narendra Modi as well as BJP's president Amit Shah.

New Delhi: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, former Lok Sabha MP of Biju Janta Dal, Baijayant Panda joined Bhartiya Janta Party, on Monday, giving a boost to the party in Odisha.

Baijayant Panda was welcomed by Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who is a prominent face of BJP in Odisha. Soon after briefing the media about his joining, he went to meet BJP president Amit Shah.

While briefing the media, he said that he admires the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as BJP's president Amit Shah.

He also tweeted about his decision to join the saffron party.

Following a tense stand off with Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, Panda resigned from BJD, last year. He also cited that there's "absolute depths of inhumanity " within the party. Due to this, he had said recently that he is willing to join hands with anybody who is "committed to tackling the problems that Odisha now faces."