Senior Odisha Cong leader Behera resigns from party, likely to join BJD

Senior Congress leader and former Odisha minister Ganeswar Behera on Tuesday resigned from the primary membership of the party.

Behera, who hails from Kendrapara district, sent his resignation letter to Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak.

He, however, thanked the party for giving him an opportunity to serve the people of Odisha as an MLA and Congress worker.

Sources said that Behera is likely to join the BJD. The BJD is likely to field Behera from the Kendrapara assembly segment which is reserved for the scheduled caste candidates.

In the 2019 polls, Shashi Bhusan Behera of BJD had won the seat by defeating Ganeswar Behera by a margin of 6,320 votes.

Ganeswar Behera has said that his well-wishers and voters of his constituency have been urging him to join the BJD.

Several Congress leaders former OPCC former working president and ex-MLA Chiranjib Biswal, former minister Surendra Singh Bhoi, sitting MLA Adhiran Panigrahi, ex-MLA K Surya Rao and Ansuman Mohanty have joined the BJD in the recent past.