Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, editor of a prominent Odia daily and academician Achyuta Samanta, were today formally inducted into the BJD by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The two join the BJD hours before Patnaik makes a formal announcement on the names of party candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections.
Asked whether they will be BJD's candidate for Rajya Sabha elections, the chief minister said, "I will make formal announcement on the BJD candidates at 5 pm today."
Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, who is also president of the Aama Odisha Party (AOP), said all political powers should unite for the interest of Odisha, and play a decisive role in the state's development.
"I was personally invited by Biju Patnaik 23 years ago to join him. I am joining a party named after him today...I have not set any conditions for joining the BJD. I will continue my work for the duped chit fund investors and farmers of the state," he said.
Former Odisha chief minister J B Patnaik's son-in- law, Soumya Ranjan, was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha from Bhubaneswar constituency on a Congress ticket in 1996. He was, however, expelled from the party in 2013.
Samanta, the founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), said he was "overwhelmed" with the working style of Naveen Patnaik.
"In particular, his clean image and dedication for the development of the weaker sections of the society attracted me to join BJD," he said.
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