Bhubaneswar: Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA and senior leader Pravat Ranjan Biswal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, ending his long association with the regional party.
Biswal was formally inducted into the BJP at the party’s state headquarters in Bhubaneswar in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal and other senior leaders.
In a major political development in Odisha, Biswal joined the saffron party amid a massive show of strength by his supporters. More than 10,000 supporters accompanied him in a grand procession from Master Canteen Square to the BJP state headquarters in Unit-III, Bhubaneswar.
Hundreds of party workers carrying BJP flags and banners lined the route and welcomed the former MLA into the party fold.
Earlier in the day, a large number of supporters had gathered at Biswal’s residence in Mahanadi Vihar in Cuttack. The atmosphere was festive, with supporters displaying banners carrying his photograph and BJP symbols and expressing enthusiasm over his decision to switch parties.
Biswal, a former MLA from the Choudwar-Cuttack Assembly constituency, had been associated with the BJD for several years and remained one of the party’s prominent leaders in the Cuttack region. His induction into the BJP is being seen as a significant addition to the party’s organisational strength in the state.
