BJD's former warhorses Bijay Mohapatra, Dilip Ray may rejoin the party

In first assembly election after formation of BJD, Mohapatra was denied ticket to contest from Patkura. Ray was dropped as steel minister from Vajpayee govt, in which the BJD was a coalition partner

As the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) prepares to celebrate its 21st foundation day on December 26, speculation is rife that two of its erstwhile stalwarts, Bijay Mohapatra and Dilip Ray, who played pivotal roles in founding the BJD in 1997, might rejoin the party, from which they were once thrown out. 

Both the leaders recently quit the BJP after being sidelined there for the past couple of years.

Mohapatra was virtually number two in the Biju Patnaik-led Janata Dal government in the state in 1990-95, during which Ray too was minister. After the death of the senior Patnaik, both Mohapatra and Ray