Bhubaneswar: Several popular Odia Jatra (opera) artistes, including Daitari Panda, Bapi Panda, Subhas Behera and Hrusikesh Mishra, joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha.
At least 350 Jatra artistes from across the state joined BJD in the presence of party’s vice-president and MLA Debi Prasad Mishra and MPs Amar Patnaik and Manas Mangaraj at Sankha Bhawan here today, said the regional party in a statement today.
Prominent Jatra artistes Daitari Panda, Bapi Panda, Subhas Behera, Hrusikesh Mishra, Ratikant Parida, Chaitanya Paika, Ramesh Chandra Nayak, Shivaram Pradhan, Adikand Nayak, Shuvendu Lenka, Sanjay Kumar Das, Asit Kumar Jena, Manoj Barik, Hiranya Behera, Bijay Kumar Biswal, Pratap Rudra Patra, Rajendra Kumar Pati, Tapan Mallick, Braja Sundar Mallick, Sarat Chandra Sahu, Lingaraj Panigrahi, Pala Raju Pawan, Aniruddha Paika, Shankar Podha, Sobhagya Haripal, Purusottam Sagaria, Purnima Chhatria, Trishulia Behera and Dejirani Swain among others joined BJD, added the ruling party.
The good work of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has prompted the Jatra artistes to join BJD, said the party.
In a related development, senior neurosurgeon Pratap Kumar Pani also joined the BJD.
Pani is a former president of SCB Medical College students’ union. He is also the founding member of Odia Samaj in Bangalore, said the BJD.
