Bhubaneswar, Sep 24 (Odisha.in) Bijoy Mohapatra headed Orissa Gana Parisad and Orissa unit of Janata Dal (S ) headed by Ashok Das Monday formally merged with the NCP.
A number of senior leaders of the ruling BJD and BJP alliance as well as that of Samajwadi Party also joined the Nationalist Congress Party, NCP spokes person D.P. Tripathy here said.
The NCP in Orissa will become an alternative of the Biju Janata Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party coalition headed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, he said.
Prominent among other leaders who joined NCP were Amar Satpathy, (BJD) and and famous actor direcor Prasanta Nanda (BJP) former ministers in Naveen Patnaik’s council of ministers,former IPS officer Anadi Sahu (BJP) ex- M.P., Kulamani Deo, a former senior IPS officer, Naveen Nanda , former MLA and Secreary Samajwadi Party Orissa unit.
Because of the merger, the NCP will have two sitting members Arun Dey and Utkal Parida in the Orissa Assembly, who were elected in OGP ticket during the last elections.
The merger was formally declared by NCP General Secretary and former Speaker of Lok Sabha , P.A. Sangama, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Prafulla Patel and NCP Spokesman D.P. Tripathy were also present.
The NCP General Secretary announced a thirteen-member steering committee for Orissa headed by Bijoy Mohapatra which would take care of strengthening the organization the State and a State convention of the party would be organized in the next few moths which will be attended by the party chief Sharad Pawar and other senior leaders.
Odisha.in