Former Odisha Minister and Congress Leader Ganeswar Behera makes switch to BJD

Senior Congress leader Ganeswar Behera joined the ruling BJD in Odisha during a program at the party headquarters in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. Behera, a former minister, had tendered his resignation from the Congress on April 2. He cited Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s development initiatives as the reason for his decision.

Behera, who held ministerial portfolios in the Congress-led government, represented the Patamundai Assembly constituency in Kendrapara district twice. He and his supporters joined the BJD in the presence of senior party leaders. Speaking about his decision, Behera said, “I have decided to join BJD to offer my contribution towards the development of Odisha and expedite the development of Kendrapara.”

He expressed gratitude towards CM Patnaik, 5T chairman VK Pandian, and party general secretary Pranab Prakash Das for allowing him to join the BJD. Behera also praised CM Patnaik as the ‘Bikash Purush’. Meanwhile, BJP leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar joined the BJD after resigning from the primary membership of the BJP. Samantsinghar, a party vice president, expressed dissatisfaction with the BJP leadership for not granting her a ticket to contest elections.

In her resignation letter to the Odisha unit BJP president, Manmohan Samal, Samantsinghar stated, “I have given my sweat and blood to the BJP for the last ten years. However, despite all the sincerity and hard work, I could not earn the trust of the leadership.” Speculation suggests that Samantsinghar was interested in contesting from the Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat. The political landscape in Odisha sees shifts as leaders make their choices ahead of upcoming elections.