GG News Bureau
Bhubaneswar, 1st Jan. Biju Janata Dal president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday revoked the expulsion order of veteran leader and former minister Damodar Rout.
An office order signed by Patnaik stated that the expulsion order of Damodar Rout was immediately revoked.
Rout, who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) seven times, was expelled from the regional party on September 12, 2018, due to allegations of engaging in activities against the party.
He was denied a party ticket, and his son Sambit Routray ran for and won the seat in Paradip in 2019.
Sambit Routray, the MLA for Paradip, expressed gratitude on behalf of his father and family, stating that the withdrawal of the expulsion order will aid in his father’s recovery as he is currently hospitalized.
Routray also thanked the chief minister for revoking the expulsion order on New Year’s Day. He said: “My father had quit the BJP after some time and wanted to return to his parent party”.
Rout served as a minister in the Naveen Patnaik Cabinet for four terms from 2000 to 2018 and first became an MLA in 1977.
