**Bhubaneswar:** The visit of former Rourkela MLA Dilip Ray, who has recently resigned from BJP, to Naveen Niwas today evening, has added fuel to the speculations of his joining the BJD.
Dilip reached Naveen Niwas at around 7.45 PM and after a closed door meeting with BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik left the place discreetly.
Rajya Sabha Member and BJD spokesperson Prasanna Acharya said, “In politics many speculations are there, some speculations come true and some prove to be false. Whoever accepts the leadership of Naveen Patnaik and associates itself in our struggle for the interest of Odisha are most welcome.”
His supporters has termed it a homecoming as Dilip is a founder member of BJD and has also been considered the blue-eyed boy of legendary leader Biju Patnaik, father of Naveen.
However, Dilip had been expelled from the BJD in 2002 on charges of anti-party activities. In course of time he had joined BJP and had also represented the saffron party in 2014 elections.
Later on November 30 last year, Dilip resigned from his post and quit the BJP on moral grounds alleging the ruling party at Centre failed to keep its promises of constructing a second bridge over Brahmani River and upgrading Ispat General Hospital (IGH) to a super speciality medical college.