New Delhi, March 28: In a big setback to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections, its founding member and six-time Cuttack Lok Sabha MP Bhartruhari Mahtab joined the BJP here on Thursday. Mahtab, 67, joined the BJP in the presence of senior leaders at the party headquarters here. Naveen Jindal Joins BJP: Former Congress Leader Joins Bharatiya Janata Party, Says I Want To Contribute to 'Viksit Bharat' Dream of PM Narendra Modi (Watch Video).

Bhartruhari Mahtab Joins BJP

Mahtab retained the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat, defeating the BJP's Prakash Mishra with a huge margin of votes in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He had contested the parliamentary elections on the BJD ticket.