Weeks after resigning from the ruling BJD, Soro MLA Parshuram Dhada on Friday returned to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Odisha.
Dhada joined the saffron party at an event organised at the BJP's headquarters here in the presence of its state president Manmohan Samal, former president Samir Mohanty and other leaders.
The legislator quit the BJD on April 3 after being denied a ticket to contest the upcoming polls.
He had successfully contested the assembly polls in 2014 and 2019 from Soro constituency on a BJD ticket.
The BJP has already fielded Raju Das as its candidate from the Soro assembly segment, but the party has yet to announce candidates from Nilagiri, Balasorre Sadar, Jaleswar and Basta under the Balasore Lok Sabha seat.
Earlier, BJD MLAs Arabinda Dhali, Premanda Nayak, Ramesh Chandra Sai, Simarani Nayak and two MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab and Anubhav Mohanty have resigned from the regional outfit and joined the BJP.
Dhada said, "I am happy that senior BJP leaders gave me an opportunity to return to the party after 10 years. I will take up whatever responsibility is assigned to me."
He had, in 2009, unsuccessfully contested as a BJP candidate from the Balasore assembly seat.
