Anubhav Mohanty joins BJP

Bhubaneswar: The BJD’s Lok Sabha member, Anubhav Mohanty, joined the BJP on Monday, days after quitting the ruling party in Odisha, saying he was feeling “suffocated”. He joined the BJP at party headquarters in Delhi.

Anubhav, a cine star, praised the Narendra Modi government, saying he was proud to witness the passage of several historic measures in Parliament, including the abolition of triple ‘talaq’ and the introduction of new criminal laws in the last five years.

For a developed India, people should support Modi, the Kendrapara MP said. Bold steps have been taken by the government, he said and lauded Prime Minister Modi as a statesman.

Anubhav said it is often stated that artistes do not fit in politics and asserted he tried his best to be a part of it. He is the second sitting BJD MP after Bhartruhari Mahtab to quit the regional party ahead of the 2024 General Elections and join the BJP. Anubhav was a Rajya Sabha member before being elected to the Lok Sabha from Kendrapara in 2019.

Besides Anubhav, three other Ollywood stars -- former BJD Lok Sabha member Sidhant Mohapatra, former BJD MLA Akash Das Nayak and BJD leader Arindam Ray, resigned from the regional party and joined the BJP.

Anubhav was a star campaigner of the BJD during the 2014 and 2019 General Elections in the State.