Former Odisha CM Giridhar Gamang and Family Set to Rejoin Congress

Bhubaneswar: Veteran tribal leader and former Odisha chief minister, Giridhar Gamang, who joined Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Hyderabad over six months ago, is now set to return to the Congress. It appears that his family, including his wife Hemabati and son Sishir, have expressed their desire to rejoin Congress. Talks were held with Odisha Congress leader A Chellakumar in New Delhi, and the discussion ended positively, paving the way for their return.

The joining ceremony is expected to take place in New Delhi later this month, with senior Congress leaders in attendance. After leaving the BJP, the Gamang family had joined BRS in Hyderabad with the presence of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. However, since BRS has yet to finalize its electoral plans in Odisha and has not started its membership drive or announced state office bearers, the family decided to return to Congress.

Giridhar Gamang, a former Union Minister, had contested the Koraput Lok Sabha constituency as a Congress candidate in the 2014 elections but lost to Jhina Hikaka of the BJD. He had been a nine-time MP from the seat between 1972 and 2004, leaving Congress in 2015 to join BJP along with his son.

Both Giridhar Gamang and his son resigned from BJP’s primary membership on January 25, subsequently joining BRS just two days later. Now, with their decision to return to Congress, the political landscape in Odisha may see some interesting developments.