Bhubaneswar: Archana Nayak, the only woman MP in Orissa's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Nayak, who has organised and led many women's movements in Orissa against dowry, violence against women and other such issues, said she quit the BJD as it would be unable to fight the Congress in the Assembly and Parliamentary polls after splitting with the BJP.
"I quit the BJD because it has broken its alliance with BJP and is now striking deals with parties like Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)," Nayak, who was elected from the Kendrapada Lok Sabha constituency in 2004, said.
"While the JMM is demanding the creation of a "greater Jharkhand" by bifurcating Orissa, the NCP has entered into a seat sharing arrangement with BJD. Both JMM and NCP are in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Congress. With these political equations, the BJD cannot fight against the Congress," she said.
Orissa will go to polls in two phases April 16 and 23 to elect 147 Assembly members and 21 Lok Sabha members.
The BJP has already declared the names of candidates for seven Lok Sabha seats. Other major parties, including the BJD and the Congress, have not yet announced the names of their candidates for either the assembly or the Lok Sabha.
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