Bhubaneswar: In another setback for BJD, senior party leader Lambodar Nial on Thursday joined the BJP in the presence of Odisha president of the saffron party Manmohan Samal.

Speculation about Nial switching sides to BJP started following a breakfast meeting with BJP’s Nupada candidate Jay Dholakia this morning. ADVERTISEMENT

Jay, however, asked reporters not to read too much into it. “Lombudar Nial was a close associate of my late father, Rajendra Dholakia, and is like a family member. He is here to congratulate me on being nominated as the BJP’s candidate for Nuapada bypoll. As a rule, we don’t discuss politics over food,” he asserted when asked about the possibility of the senior BJD leader switching sides to BJP.

However, Komna block BJD chairman, who was also present at Jay’s resi

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