BHUBANESHWAR: Expelled BJD MLA Prasanta Kumar Jagadev, who was arrested in March 2022 for ramming an SUV into a largely BJP crowd, injuring more than 20 people, joined the saffron party on Thursday.
The two-time MLA spent more than four months in jail before he got bail from the Supreme Court in July 2022. He was suspended from the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD, for thrashing another BJP leader in September 2021.BJP and Congress had agitated against him. He was expelled from the regional party after the SUV incident.
After joining the BJP in the presence of Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and former state BJP president Samir Mohanty here, Jagadev said he can foresee a “double-engine” government, with BJP returning to power at the Centre and forming the next government in Odisha. “It’s time for action. I will work as a solider to ensure a Viksit Bharat (developed India),” he said. Aparajita said BJP will be strengthened with Jagadev’s joining.
Despite its tumultuous history with the legislator, the BJP has chosen to bring Jagadev on board, signalling a willingness to move forward. On March 12, 2022, Jagadev drove his SUV into a crowd gathered in front of the Banapur block office in Khurda district during the block chairperson’s election. Several BJP workers and the then inspector in-charge of Banapur police station Rashmi Ranjan Sahoo were injured. Following the incident, a mob assaulted the MLA and set his vehicle ablaze. Almost all political parties, including the BJD, BJP, and Congress, had condemned his actions then. The MLA was arrested by the police 10 days later and charged with attempted murder (IPC Section 307).
In September 2021, BJD had suspended Jagadev after he physically assaulted BJP leader Niranjan Sethi. Jagadev, who was elected from Begunia in 2014 and from Chilika in 2019, has a track record marked by controversy, particularly regarding his strong-arm tactics. His 2019 poll affidavit revealed that he had 10 pending cases against him.
In August 2020, he had allegedly manhandled a junior engineer of Chilika Development Authority. In 2018, he had threatened a sarpanch at the latter’s office in full public view. In November 2016, he had thrown a kerosene lantern at a woman tehsildar of Bolagada.
The two-time MLA spent more than four months in jail before he got bail from the Supreme Court in July 2022. He was suspended from the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD, for thrashing another BJP leader in September 2021.BJP and Congress had agitated against him. He was expelled from the regional party after the SUV incident.
After joining the BJP in the presence of Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and former state BJP president Samir Mohanty here, Jagadev said he can foresee a “double-engine” government, with BJP returning to power at the Centre and forming the next government in Odisha. “It’s time for action. I will work as a solider to ensure a Viksit Bharat (developed India),” he said. Aparajita said BJP will be strengthened with Jagadev’s joining.
Despite its tumultuous history with the legislator, the BJP has chosen to bring Jagadev on board, signalling a willingness to move forward. On March 12, 2022, Jagadev drove his SUV into a crowd gathered in front of the Banapur block office in Khurda district during the block chairperson’s election. Several BJP workers and the then inspector in-charge of Banapur police station Rashmi Ranjan Sahoo were injured. Following the incident, a mob assaulted the MLA and set his vehicle ablaze. Almost all political parties, including the BJD, BJP, and Congress, had condemned his actions then. The MLA was arrested by the police 10 days later and charged with attempted murder (IPC Section 307).
In September 2021, BJD had suspended Jagadev after he physically assaulted BJP leader Niranjan Sethi. Jagadev, who was elected from Begunia in 2014 and from Chilika in 2019, has a track record marked by controversy, particularly regarding his strong-arm tactics. His 2019 poll affidavit revealed that he had 10 pending cases against him.
In August 2020, he had allegedly manhandled a junior engineer of Chilika Development Authority. In 2018, he had threatened a sarpanch at the latter’s office in full public view. In November 2016, he had thrown a kerosene lantern at a woman tehsildar of Bolagada.