Bhubaneswar: In a shot in the arm for Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, all four NCP legislators and their state unit general secretary on Tuesday joined the ruling BJD, barely a week after the state witnessed an alleged failed bid to topple the government.
"I am delighted that very senior leaders of NCP including four MLAs came to Naveen Niwas and joined the ruling BJD," Patnaik told reporters after a marathon meeting with the leaders of Sharad Pawar-led party.
"The leaders are well known, very hard working and good people," he said adding NCP`s Odisha unit general secretary Manu Choudhury also joined the BJD along with the four MLAs.
The four MLAs were NCP legislature party leader Amar Prasad Satpathy from Badachana segment, Prashant Nanda (Begunia), Ramachandra Hansda (Saraskana) and Navin Nanda (Dhenkanal). Of them, Satpathy and Nanda were former ministers.
"We the four NCP MLAs today at an emergency meeting unanimously decided to join BJD. This is like home coming for all four of us," Satpathy told reporters in presence of Patnaik and other senior leaders of the BJD.
Satpathy said they would soon meet the speaker of the Odisha Legislative party and submit a resolution paper.
"There was no pre-condition for joining the BJD," Satpathy said replying a question.
With four NCP MLAs joing the BJD, the strength of the BJD`s legislature party now increased to 108 from 104, said party`s vice-president and senior legislator Damodar Rout.
PTI
