Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, June 12, 2015 :

Former Odisha chief minister Giridhar Gamang on Friday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] ending speculation about their next move following resignation from Congress.

“Yes, I have joined the BJP,” Gamang said at New Delhi after coming out of a meeting with BJP national president Amit Shah this afternoon.

Gamang conceded that there had been negotiations between him and BJP about his entry into the party had been going on for the last six months.

Giridhar and his son met BJP National president Amit Shah at his official residence at Akbar Road for about an hour in the presence of union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram, Union minister of stae [independent] petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan.

Gamang resigned from the Congress after a 43-year long association with the grand old party on May 30. Following his resignation, talk about Gamang joining BJP had been doing the rounds with his son Sisir repeatedly making it clear that his father would join the BJP.