November 29, 2024

Dharmendra Pradhan’s former private secretary Sambit Tripathy joins BJP | India News

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BHUBANESHWAR: Sambit Tripathy, who has worked as private secretary to then petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, joined the BJP on Wednesday. Tripathy (48) had taken voluntary retirement from his Indian Revenue Service (IRS) job in 2020.
This decision comes close on the heels of 2000-batch IAS officer VK Pandian’s premature retirement and his anticipated foray into politics after he served as chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s private secretary since 2011.
Sambit, who has been active in voluntary works in Cuttack district after his retirement, said he joined politics to be able to serve people in a more meaningful manner. “BJP was a natural choice because of Narendra Modi’s strong leadership and party’s pro-people and nationalistic ideology,” he said.
Sambit said he has been currently helping farmers to make farming profitable in his local area. Farmers are being trained to adopt new methods of farming and explore alternative livelihood options through voluntary efforts, he said.
The former bureaucrat, who last served as income tax commissioner in Delhi, said he would love to contest from his native area in the assembly election. “It is up to the party to decide. I will discharge my duty in whichever role the party assigns me. Given a chance, I would love to contest from my area Baramba,” he said.
Baramba is a BJD stronghold. Debiprasad Mishra has been representing the seat in a row since 1995, first term as Janata Dal nominee and five terms since 2000 as BJD candidate. BJP sources said the saffron party has roped in Sambit to make inroads into the BJD bastion.
Sambit, a post graduate from Jawaharlal Nehru University and law graduate from Delhi University, the 1998 batch former IRS officer was PS to Dharmendra Pradhan from 2014 to 2019.
On a day BJP welcomed Sambit in its fold, BJD took on board a former DSP, Raisen Murmu, a native of Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district, into the regional party. “Raisen’s joining will strengthen the party in Rairangpur assembly seat,” BJD Rajya Sabha member Manas Mangaraj said. Naba Charan Majhi of BJP represents Rairangpur in the current assembly.



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