Mahanga Bikash Parishad Chairman Sarada Pradhan joins BJP

ONI Bureau: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has received a major boost in Cuttack district, as Mahanga Bikash Parishad Chairman Sarada Prasad Pradhan joined the saffron party along with hundreds of supporters.

Union P&NG and SD&E Minister Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed Sarada Pradhan and his supporters into party fold. Senior BJP leaders Samir Dey, Kalindi Samal, Manmohan Samal, Lekhasri Samantasinghar and others attended the ‘Misran Parv’ in Baruna Pitha, Kuanpal, Mahanga near Salepur.

Mahanga MLA and Odisha Health Minister Pratap Jena may face tough challenge in his constituency in future as Sarada Pradhan has massive public support. He had received 61,657 votes in 2014 assembly polls as an Independent candidate, while Pratap Jena got 89,531 votes. Congress candidate Shaik Matlub Ali had polled 22,297 votes. The BJP, which got just 3,572 votes in 2014, will be strengthened in the area with the induction of Sarada Pradhan.

Over 30,000 people had congregated at BJP’s Misran Parv in Salepur today. Several elected PRI members from Nishchintakoili and Buhalo also joined the BJP today.

Sarada Pradhan had sought the opinion of Mahanga Bikash Parishad on a public voting on December 25, 2017 on his future course of action. Majority of people voted for the BJP, prompting him to take a final decision.

While joining the BJP, Sarada Pradhan hailed Dharmendra Pradhan as a great and visionary leader of Odisha and said the state is proud of his achievements.