Bhubaneswar: Nearly four months after his expulsion from the BJD, former MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal (59) joined the BJP along with his supporters on Sunday.Biswal was inducted during a ceremony at the party office in Bhubaneswar in the presence of chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and party president and Rajya Sabha member Manmohan Samal.Speculation over Biswal’s induction had been rife, fuelled by his growing proximity to BJP functionaries and his son, MLA Souvic Biswal’s cross‑voting in favour of BJP‑backed independent nominee Dilip Ray during the March 16 Rajya Sabha election. Souvic was suspended by the BJD soon after.“I was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development agenda. I was also impressed by the people’s chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s development works in Odisha. That is why I decided to join the party,” said Biswal, a three‑time former MLA who was expelled from the BJD on Feb 28 for opposing the candidature of Santrupt Misra, political secretary to party president Naveen Patnaik, during Rajya Sabha election.CM Majhi hailed Biswal as a popular leader. “His induction will further strengthen the BJP in Choudwar and across Cuttack district,” the CM said, adding with a smile, “The BJD will now feel tremors in Cuttack.”BJD chief whip and senior MLA Pramila Mallik dismissed Biswal’s induction into the BJP. “We had already expelled him from the party. He is nothing but a worm‑eaten brinjal. His political relevance has long decayed,” Mallik said.Biswal’s entry into the BJP comes days after the Orissa high court’s refusal to quash criminal proceedings against him in the Seashore chit fund scam, directing the designated CBI court to conclude the trial within six months. Biswal, while representing Choudwar‑Cuttack as a BJD MLA, was arrested by the CBI on Sept 19, 2017, for his alleged involvement in the ponzi scheme.Biswal’s induction will be closely watched, particularly given his long‑standing rivalry with BJP Rajya Sabha member Debashish Samantaray, who was re‑elected to the Upper House last month after quitting the BJD. The two have repeatedly locked horns in public, often engaging in heated exchanges.
