BJP national general secretary Arun Singh welcomed Mamata Mohanta
Former BJD leader Mamata Mohanta joined the BJP here on Thursday, a day after resigning as Rajya Sabha member and quitting the Naveen Patnaik-led party.
Mamata Mohanta joined the BJP at the party's headquarters here in the presence of senior party leaders, including national secretary Arun Singh and Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh. Some of the BJP MPs from Odisha were also present on the occasion.
Welcoming Mamata Mohanta to the party fold, BJP Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh said her joining will further strengthen the party and hoped that she will contribute in implementation of the party's 'Sankalp Patra (poll promises) to make India a developed country and Odisha a developed state.
"She comes from a tribal region (in Odisha). The BJP will definitely gain strength with her joining the party," Singh told a press conference at the party headquarters.
BJP national general secretary Arun Singh also welcomed Mamata Mohanta and said she has joined the party embracing its ideology. She was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, he said.
"She has done a lot of work for women empowerment in Mayurbhanj and various other parts of Odisha. She was president of the BJD's Mahila Morcha. The BJP will certainly gain strength with her joining the party," Singh told reporters.
Speaking to reporters, Mamata Mohanta said that she came into public life with two goals - public service and public welfare.
"I joined the BJP because I felt that I can achieve my goals while being here," she said.
In her resignation letter to BJD president Naveen Patnaik, Mamata Mohanta said she felt that there was no requirement of the service of her and her community in the party.
With her exit, the BJD's strength in Rajya Sabha has dropped to eight. It does not have any MP in Lok Sabha.
There are 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)