Former BJD Leaders Manjulata, Muktikanta Mandal Join BJP

Bhubaneswar: Former Bhadrak MP Manjulata Mandal and her husband, former Dhamnagar MLA Muktikanta Mandal, formally joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha on Wednesday along with a large number of their supporters.

The induction took place in Bhubaneswar in the presence of Odisha BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Manmohan Samal, besides several senior leaders of the party.

The Mandal couple had quit the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on April 26 after being suspended by the regional party over allegations of anti-party activities.

Manjulata Mandal represented the Bhadrak Lok Sabha constituency as a BJD MP after winning the 2019 general election. Muktikanta Mandal, meanwhile, was elected to the Dhamnagar Assembly constituency on a BJD ticket in the 2014 Assembly polls.

Their entry into the BJP is being viewed as a significant political addition for the ruling party in Bhadrak district ahead of future electoral battles.