Former Union Minister joins Samajwadi party alonwith 2 others

Former Union Minister Bhajaman Behera, former MP Nakul Nayak and Orissa Gana Parishad leader Shanti Das have joined the Samajwadi Party in Orissa.

Former Union Minister Bhajaman Behera, former MP Nakul Nayak and Orissa Gana Parishad leader Shanti Das have joined the Samajwadi Party in Orissa, the party's state unit chief Baishnab Charan Parida said today.

All three would be contesting the Lok Sabha polls in the state, Parida told a news conference here.

While Behera, who was a minister in the V P Singh ministry, has filed his nomination papers from Dhenkanal parliamentary and Hindol (SC) assembly seats, Nayak would be the party candidate from Phulbani (SC) seat.

Nayak was recently expelled from the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Das, who quit the OGP, would be the Samajwadi Party's candidate for Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat, Parida said.

He said that Samajwadi Party president and UP chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav would be visiting Orissa soon to campaign for party candidates. .