Ex-min Nayak joins Cong after BJP denies ticket

Bhubaneswar: Former minister Debasis Nayak, who had switched to the BJP after quitting BJD recently, joined the Congress on Saturday. Ahead of elections, Nayak snapped his ties with the BJD and joined the BJP on February 25.

Nayak’s latest switch came two days after the BJP denied him a ticket from Bari assembly constituency from where he was elected in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014 on a BJD ticket.

BJP fielded Umesh Chandra Jena from Bari seat. Jena had unsuccessfully contested from the seat on a Congress ticket in 2019 election. Jena joined the BJP last year. Nayak’s entry in the Congress appeared unprecedented as he had on Friday hinted at contesting from Bari as an independent candidate.

Congress has already announced Arati Deo as its Bari candidate. Nayak’s induction in the Congress has triggered speculation of a possible change of candidate in Bari.

“My move to join the BJP was a blunder. Belated though, I took the wise decision to join the Congress, which is a democratic party unlike others. I can serve the people of Bari by remaining in Congress,” said Nayak, who served as officer on special duty to Naveen Patnaik when he was the Union steel and mines minister in then Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led govt at the Centre.

Nayak, who served as a minister in Odisha from 2004 to 2008, was sacked from Naveen’s council of ministers in 2008 following the controversy surrounding alleged sexual assault of a former woman employee of the assembly.

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