Bhubaneswar, Jan 18: The resignation of senior leader and former minister Balabhadra Majhi from the ruling Biju Janata Dal has created flutters in the political circle of tribal-dominated Kalahandi district.
It is rumored that the five-time MLA and former minister would join the Congress before the ensuing election.
Tribal leader Majhi, who started his political career as a Janata Dal MLA from the Narla assembly constituency in 1990, won four times consecutively from this seat. He got elected in 1990, 1995 as a Janata Dal nominee, and in 2000 and 2004 as a BJD candidate.
During the delimitation of seats in 2009, the Narla assembly seat came under general category, and Lanjigarh seat was reserved for the Scheduled Tribe. Balabhadra fought the election as BJD nominee from Lanjigarh in 2009 and lost to the Congress candidate.
In 2014, Balabhadra won from Lanjigarh as BJD nominee. But he was denied a party ticket in 2019. BJD fielded Pradeep Dishari, who won the election.
