In Pictures: Former BJD Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray joins BJP

Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray joined the BJP on Tuesday

Joining the BJP in the presence of senior party leaders, Samantaray thanked PM Modi for his "blessing" and said he would work towards further strengthening the BJP in Odisha

He later met BJP national president Nitin Nabin at the party headquarters

Union minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan, an MP from the Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha, was also present on the occasion

A long-time associate of BJD supremo and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Samantaray resigned from both the party and the Rajya Sabha on Monday

In his resignation letter to Patnaik, Samantaray said, "I do hereby resign from the primary membership of BJD. Of late, I felt I have been systematically belittled in the party and that it does not require my services. Therefore, I have taken this hard decision in the public interest and request you to accept my resignation"

His exit comes months after two other BJD Rajya Sabha MPs, Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mahanta, quit the party. Both were later elected to the Rajya Sabha on BJP tickets

BJP's Odisha unit president Manohan Samal said the party will gain further strength in the state with Samantaray joining its ranks

BJP chief spokesperson and MP Anil Baluni described Samantaray as a grassroots leader who had played a "very significant" role in Odisha's politics