Expressing resentment at the failure of the leadership of the ruling BJD MLA of Khandapada constituency, hundreds of BJD workers from Khumbharapada panchayat of Khandapada block joined the Ama Odisha Party (AOP) on Wednesday. Several BJD leaders, including former sarpanch Akhila Kumar Panda, former panchayat samiti members Pravat Khuntia, Trilochan Sethi, Niranjan Nayak, Chitta Ranjan Panda, Subas Chandra Panda and Rashmi Ranjan Panda joined the AOP in the presence of the party president Soumya Ranjan Patnaik at a meeting held at the foothills of Similibaba near Khumbharapada Medical Chhak here in the afternoon.
Speaking on the occasion, the former BJD workers expressed confidence that the AOP president would be able to provide an alternative and dependable administration. Welcoming the BJD workers and expressing his gratitude to them for joining his party, Patnaik called on the party workers to strengthen the campaign of Ama Odisha to make Khandapada constituency free from corruption and maladministration. He said unlike other parties whose decisions rest with the high commands, the grassroots workers of Ama Odisha take all decisions.
“Though not far away from the state capital, Khandapada has been a victim of political neglect for years. However, the winds of change blowing in this election would add a new chapter in the development of this underdeveloped constituency”, Patnaik hoped.