Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao met former Odisha chief minister Giridhar Gamang in Hyderabad on Friday. Though the Telangana CM’s office tweeted a photo of the meeting of the two leaders and termed it a “courtesy call”, the BRS president learnt to have offered Gamang to lead his party in Odisha, where it is likely to open its kisan cell.
The meeting assumes significance as Gamang, a tribal face from the southern part of Odisha, has good support base in a few constituencies in the region. As the southern part of Odisha, from Ganjam to Malkangiri, has considerable number of Telugu voters, the BRS is reportedly trying to cash in on them. The region has four Lok Sabha seats and around 30 Assembly segments.
Former Odisha Chief Minister, senior Parliamentarian, national leader Sri Giridhar Gamang paid a courtesy call on Chief Minister Sri K Chandrashekar Rao at Pragati Bhavan today. Sri Shishir Gamang, son of Giridhar Gamang, and others were present at the meeting. pic.twitter.com/qegdh4zpEi
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) January 13, 2023
Giridhar Gamang’s son Shishir, who also accompanied the former CM, said the BRS chief, who is an old friend of his father, made the offer. “We have not decided anything on the proposal of the BRS president. We are still in the BJP,” Shishir told The Indian Express.
The veteran leader, who was elected to the Lok Sabha for record nine times from Koraput parliamentary constituency, had dumped his decades-long association with Congress to join BJP in June 2015. He had also served as chief minister of Odisha for 10 months from February to December in 1999.
Gamang’s controversial vote during a no-confidence motion had led to the fall of 13-month-old NDA government at the Centre led by AB Vajpayee on April 17, 1999. He had also stoked controversy to vote in the no-confidence motion despite having become the chief minister of Odisha two months back then. As he had not resigned as the Lok Sabha member, he used the privilege to vote in the no-confidence motion.
Even as Gamang’s meeting has fuelled many speculations in Odisha’s political circle, leaders cutting across party lines said his joining will be of little consequences as BJD, BJP and Congress are well-rooted in the state.
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Sujit BisoyiSujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and co… read more