Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, the former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP, who had recently joined the BJP, has been now appointed as the National Vice-president and Spokesperson of BJP.
Baijayant Jay Panda has been appointed as National Vice-President and Spokesperson of BJP. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/1CGsntZWQU
— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2019
After nine months of introspection, Jay Panda had finally taken to Twitter to announce that he had decided to join the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2019 General elections. He also expressed his keenness to work under the leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Nine months of introspection & widespread consultations w/colleagues & public.
Grateful for support recd from all over.
On auspicious #MahaShivratri I’ve decided to join @BJP4India & work under the leadership of @narendramodi Ji to serve Odisha & India to the best of my ability?— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) March 4, 2019
Speculations regarding his political discourse were rife ever since he had quit BJD and resigned from the post of MP in May last year considering his deteriorating relations with the party. Prior to his resignation Panda was suspended from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in January last year. Before this, he was also suspended as the spokesperson of the party.
Panda had won Lok Sabha election twice from the Kendrapada constituency, in 2009 and 2014. He was also a Rajya Sabha MP prior to that.
While submitting his resignation to the BJD he expressed deep anguish that no leader from BJD had come to pay their respect to his deceased father. Panda also claimed that the BJD has been deviating from its original philosophy of humility and transparency to corruption and goondaism, which he claims was brought to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s attention multiple times.
Panda expressed his gratitude at being appointed the spokesperson and national vice president. He added that he will do his best for the party’s continued success and work under PM Modi’s leadership for a new India.
Panda joined the BJP on March 4th, in the presence of Union minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi. He later met BJP president Amit Shah at the BJP headquarters in the capital.
At a press conference, Panda called out his former party, saying the governance under Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik had deteriorated sharply in recent years.
“I have admired Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and direction in which he is taking the country and also BJP president Amit Shah’s leadership that has made this party not just the largest in the country, but the largest and the most effective party in the whole world,” he said.
“In the early years, when it (BJD) was an ally of the BJP, there were certain norms that had been followed which have been lost in the recent years,” he said.
Panda’s decision to join the BJP is likely to boost the party’s electoral prospects in Odisha, a state where the BJP is looking to gain some seats in the Lok Sabha to compensate for potential losses elsewhere.
