Bhubaneswar, Mar 20 (IANS): A day after tendering his resignation from the Congress, Adhiraj Mohan Panigrahi, the MLA from Odisha's Khariar Assembly constituency, joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) along with his supporters at a special programme here on Wednesday.

The block chairpersons of Khariar, Boden, and Sinapali in Nuapada district also joined the BJD during the programme held in the presence of BJD General Secretary (Organisation), Pranab Prakash Das, Rajya Sabha MP Manas Ranjan Mangaraj, and former minister and senior BJD leader Snehangini Chhuria.

“I want to thank Adhiraj Panigrahi for realising that only Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik can bring development in Odisha, especially in areas such as Khariar and Nuapada. When I told him (Naveen Patnaik) about the joining, he said the youth should work for the development of Odisha as well as for their respective districts through hard work,” said Pranab Prakash Das.

While welcoming Panigrahi and his supporters into the BJD, Das also said that they would get all the due respect and honour in the BJD.

On His part, Panigrahi thanked BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik and V.K. Pandian, for allowing him and his supporters to join the BJD, which is like a "big family".

“I am inspired by CM Patnaik’s ideology of ‘talk less and work more’. I have joined the BJD with the hope that CM Patnaik will give me a chance to contribute towards his pledge to make Odisha the number one state in India, and to include Nuapada and Khariar in that journey,” Panigrahi said.