Bhubaneswar: Nimapara MLA Samir Ranjan Dash today joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after resigning from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

He joined the saffron party at an event organized at BJP's state office here.

Expressing his discontent over BJD, Dash said, "It was not possible for me to stay and work in BJD as its leaders were not trusting me. Having joined the BJP, I can confidently say that the party will win with a huge margin in Nimapara."

Dash decided to quit the BJD following the party's decision to deny him a ticket for the upcoming assembly elections.

"The BJD has lost confidence in me and the party organizations in Gop and Nimapara. Hence, it will not be wise to stay in the party anymore. Therefore, I have resigned from the primary membership of the BJD," Dash had said in a video message.

A seasoned politician, Dash was elected to the State Assembly three times consecutively in 2009, 2014, and 2019. He also served as the School and Mass Education Minister in Naveen Patnaik’s cabinet.

The decision to resign came after the BJD allotted the party ticket for Nimapara to Dilip Nayak, a recent defector from the BJP, instead of Dash.