Insight Bureau:  Former Laxmipur MLA Kailash Chandra Kulesika, who had resigned from the Congress a few months ago, has joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) at the BYJD office in Bhubaneswar today.

BJD’s Organisational Secretary Pranab Prakash Das welcomed him and his supporters to the party. Kailash was accompanied by 102 supporters.

Dharmasala MLA Pranab Balabantray, Minister Padmini Dian and BJD General Secretary (Media Affairs) Manas Mangaraj were present at the occasion.

Kailash Chandra Kulesika who unsuccessfully contested the assembly polls from Laxmipur in 2009 as an Independent Candidate, won in 2014 as the Congress candidate. He had emerged as a giant killer by defeating BJD’s Hema Gomang.

However, he lost the 2019 elections to BJD’s Prabhu Jani by a narrow margin of 229 votes. While Kailash had secured 44,982 votes, Prabhu Jani got 45,211 votes.

Kailash Kulesika had resigned from the party earlier, but later withdrew his resignation. However, his possible re-induction into the party was vehemently opposed by Jeypore MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, triggering a crisis in Koraput Congress.

Another Congress stalwart, PCC Working President and former Nabarangpur MP Pradeep Majhi will also join the BJD within a few days.