Former Indian hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey on Thursday joined the BJP, days after resigning from the Congress which withdrew his election nomination.
Mr Tirkey was fielded by the Congress in the Talsara assembly seat in Sundergarh district, but the party later withdrew his nomination and named Devendra Bhitaria in his place.
He was welcomed to the BJP by its state president Manmohan Samal. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra and Bolangir MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo were also present on the occasion.
Mr Tirkey joined the BJP on a day Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the state to kick-start the party's campaign for the twin polls.
Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Ajoy Kumar said the party withdrew his candidature because he was not active in the constituency despite being named as a candidate.
"Tirkey is a gentleman, but he was not active in his constituency," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
India Overtakes China In International Student Enrollment At US Colleges
"Deeply Influenced By Rahul Gandhi": Hockey Ex-Captain Who Joined Congress Ashneer Grover's LinkedIn Post After Salman Khan Schools Him On Bigg Boss What Canada Police Said On Indian-Origin Woman's Death Inside Walmart Oven Why Donald Trump's Cabinet Choices Are Giving Pakistan Sleepless Nights "Escalating War": Trump's Allies Slam Biden Over Missiles For Ukraine Domestic Air Passenger Traffic Crosses 5.05 Lakh Mark On November 17 Delhi Metro And NCR Transport Corporation Launch Integrated QR-Ticketing System Enabling Seamless Travel Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.