Two fringe political parties on Monday joined hands and launched a front with the sole objective of ousting the ruling BJD from power in the coming twin elections in Odisha.
Samata Kranti Dal, headed by former MP Braja Kishore Tripathy, and Utkal Bharat, led by former MP Kharavel Swain, announced the formation of the Odisha Democratic Front.
The two ex-MPs said that the new front aimed at defeating the BJD in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and announced to field candidates in all the 147 Assembly seats in the State.
‘An alternative’
Claiming that the BJD government has made the State poor during its 18-year rule, they said the Odisha Democratic Front will emerge as an alternative.
They alleged that a large number of people are migrating to other States in search of jobs and the State government has failed to create employment opportunities for the local youths.
‘Govt. has failed’
The Front leaders also criticised the State government and the Chief Minister alleging that the administration failed in all sectors including like health, education and agriculture. Both Mr. Tripathy and Mr. Swain were hopeful that all the anti-BJD leaders will come forward and fight together to defeat the Naveen government.
Mr. Tripathy had been elected MP twice and was a Cabinet Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre after being elected on the BJD ticket from Puri Lok Sabha seat in 1999. He had resigned from the BJD in 2009 and joined the BJP before launching his own party, Samata Kranti Dal, in 2013.
Mr. Swain was also elected MP twice, including once from Balasore on a BJP ticket.
