Arabinda Dhali, a five-time MLA, officially joined the BJP at the party’s headquarters in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, after resigning from the primary membership of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Dhali’s decision was made in the presence of Odisha election in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar and BJP state president Manmohan Samal. He cited a lack of receptiveness within the BJD, stating that nobody was willing to listen to others in the party.
“I resigned from the primary membership of BJD yesterday. PM Modi is poised to become the Prime Minister for the third time with more than 400 MPs. The development that occurred in the last 8 years did not happen in the 70 years before him. The country is secure under him,” Dhali remarked.
Dhali expressed his preference for the BJP, describing it as an independent party. He criticized the BJD, alleging that it lacked independence and effective administration, where nobody listens to each other.
Initially elected to the assembly from the Malkangiri constituency in 1992 under the BJP banner, Dhali secured re-election for two consecutive terms. He later switched allegiance to the BJD and won from the Jayadev constituency in 2009 and 2019.
A law graduate, Dhali served as a minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, holding key portfolios including Cooperation (2000-2004), Textiles and Handloom (2000-2002), and Commerce and Transport (2002-2004).
Despite Dhali’s defection to the BJP, the BJD asserted that it would not have a detrimental impact on the party.
“It is common for many political leaders to switch parties ahead of elections. Those leaders whose chances of winning are low and know that the party is unlikely to nominate them are leaving the BJD,” senior BJD leader Raj Kishore Das commented. Recently, expelled BJD MLAs Pradeep Panigrahy and Prashant Jagdev have aligned with the BJP, along with former BJD Minister Debasis Nayak. Additionally, Rajendra Das, another ousted BJD leader and former MLA, is reportedly poised to join the BJP.
