Conflict within BJD, their leaders want to join BJP: Minister Oram

Last week, a Twitter war broke out between BJD MPs Tathagat Satpathy and Baijayant Panda

Its sights set on the 2019 Assembly polls, the opposition BJP on Tuesday raked up “internal conflict” within the BJD, with Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram claiming that some MPs, ex-MPs and MLAs of other parties, including BJD, want to join the BJP.

“BJD is going through serious internal conflict. We have no role in it… Some of their MPs, ex-MPs, MLAs are in touch with us. After our victory in four out of five states in the recent Assembly elections, some of them want to join BJP,” Oram said here.

Last week, a Twitter war broke out between BJD MPs Tathagat Satpathy and Baijayant Panda after the former claimed that a BJD MP was trying to split the party and join the BJP.

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On Sunday, former district Congress president of Angul Pratap Pradhan, former Nayagarh MLA Sitakanta Mishra, Jajpur district zilla parishad vice-president Ashok Bal from BJD and comedian Harihar Mohapatra joined the BJP.

Sources said the party is trying to get more people to join the party ahead of the party national executive meeting in Bhubaneswar on April 15-16.

The BJP has planned rallies in all 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha ahead of its national executive. BJP spokesman Sameer Mohanty said 11 Union ministers and 10 senior MPs will address public meetings between April 8 and 14.

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