Putting rest to all speculations, Damador Rout on Thursday evening joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
Amid growing speculations about his son Sambit Routray being considered an aspirant for the Paradip Assembly constituency, senior leader and Paradip MLA Damodar Rout today said he has no idea whether his son is aspiring to be the BJD candidate from Paradip, but pledged that he will ensure Naveen Patnaik fails to form the government in Odisha post general elections this year.
The senior leader joined the saffron party in the presence of several senior leaders of the party including the state carders of the party.
Earlier, Rout, who was expelled from the BJD, had hinted at joining either the saffron party or Congress if any such offers come in his way.
He had also stated that although he tried to float a new political party against the ruling BJD, he could not succeed.