Bhubaneswar: In yet another jolt to Odisha Congress, Khariar MLA Adhiraj Mohan Panigrahi quit the party.
He had resigned from the primary membership of Congress by sending his resignation letter to PCC president Sarat Pattnayak.
Panigrahi is likely to join the BJD on Wednesday.
“I had no dispute with the Congress leadership. I also got due respect from the party. But, the people in my constituency want me to quit Congress. So, I did so respecting wish of the people,” Panigrahi told media.
“I will discuss with my supporters and constituents before deciding my next course of action,” he added.
He clarified that he would contest the 2024 election positively from Khariar.
Panigrahi, who had been serving the Congress party for the last 25 years, said that the party has weakened. The party is not in a good condition now, he said.
He had contested the Assembly election from Khariar constituency on a Congress ticket in 2019 and won the poll by defeating his nearest candidate Lambodar Nial of BJD.
Earlier in February, Rajnagar MLA Ansuman Mohanty had also resigned from Congress and joined the BJD.
