Former MP Rudra Madhav Ray, who was suspended from Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for anti-party activities during the 2014 general election, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here Sunday.
This has fuelled speculation that the BJP might field the 77-year-old leader as its candidate from the Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat where by-election will be held Oct 15.
The by-poll was necessitated by the death of BJD's Hemendra Chandra Singh.
Ray was a member of the state legislative assembly for three terms between 1990 and 2009 before being elected to Lok Sabha on a BJD ticket in 2009.
The BJD, however, denied him a ticket in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and later suspended him for anti-party activities.
"I joined the BJP after being inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. If the party wishes, I will contest the by-election for Kandhamal," he told reporters.
In a related development Sunday, the BJP appointed senior leader Bijay Mohapatra as the chairman of its campaign committee for the Kandhamal by-poll.
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