Former BJD MLA joins BJP

Former MLA and scion of Khandapada royal family in Odisha Siddharth Sekhar Singh joined the BJP today, about three weeks after he had quit the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Singh, who represented Khandapada constituency in the Odisha Assembly between 2009 and 2014, joined BJP along with supporters in the presence of Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and state BJP chief Basant Panda here.
The 40-year-old leader, who had been denied a party ticket by the BJD in the 2014 elections, was apparently upset and felt ignored by the ruling party since then.
While resigning, he had expressed displeasure over not being given due importance in the BJD.

After being accorded a warm welcome at the BJP state headquarters here, Singh said he would work with dedication and commitment for strengthening the party at the grassroots level in his area and elsewhere in the state.
The erstwhile royal family member said he would work hard for putting an end to the misrule of BJD and ensuring victory for BJP in next elections.

All the misdeeds of BJD government including gross irregularities in the preparation and distribution of ration cards under National Food Security Act (NFSA) would be presented before the people, he said.
Union Minister Pradhan said Singh and his supporters would highlight BJD regime's failure on all fronts in Odisha and tell people about various developmental and welfare programmes launched by the NDA government at the Centre and good governance during the Narendra Modi rule.

He expressed the hope that Singh's entry in the party would lead to the downfall of Naveen Patnaik government and ensure BJP's victory in the state.