BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Monday announced former MP Kharabela Swain as its nominee for Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat hours after he returned to the party.Swain, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Balasore thrice earlier as BJP candidate, had left the party 10 years ago and formed his own outfit Utkal Bharat. He announced his return to the saffron fold in presence of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan."The country has scaled new height globally under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am joining the party impressed with his leadership. I will contest from Kandhamal," Swain said hours before his name was formally announced.The Naveen Patnaik led BJD has fielded edu-entrepreneur and Rajya Sabha member Achyuta Samant from Kandhamal.Retired IPS officer Prakash Mishra, who joined the BJP on Sunday, was named party candidate from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. The seat is represented by Bhartruhari Mahtab of BJD in the outgoing Lok Sabha.Mishra, who also served as CRPG DG (2014-2016), said, “I had never thought of joining politics, but was impressed with the working style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is concerned for country’s security and takes personal interest to ensure the country remains secured. India’s response to Pulwama terror strike was befitting.” He was speaking to BJP workers after joining the party here.About the situation in Odisha , Mishra, said “Governance in the state has attained a new low. Odia self-esteem is hurt. It’s time to change the incumbent government here and build a new Odisha.”The Odisha government had removed Mishra as chief of Odisha Police in July 2014, two years after he took over in July 2012, and slapped a vigilance case on him in September 2014. The Orissa high court quashed the charges against Mishra in June 2015. The BJP and the Congress had then termed it hounding of an honest officer in a fabricated case by the BJD government.The Odisha vigilance had alleged that during his tenure as chairman-cum managing director of Odisha Police Housing and Welfare Corporation between 2006 and 2009, Mishra showed undue benefits to material suppliers causing Rs 7.27 crore loss to the state exchequer.Post retirement, Mishra was appointed one of the two advisers to then Uttarakhand governor KK Paul amid political turmoil in the hill state when President’s rule was imposed in 2016.

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