Bhubaneswar, Feb 25 (Reporter)Former Odisha Minister and a four-time BJD MLA Debasis Nayak on Sunday joined the BJP at a function at the party’s state headquarters office. Debasis, a four-time MLA from Bari Assembly constituency who also held the position of minister of state of Sports and Youth affairs and Information and Public Relations, resigned from the primary membership of the BJD. Once a close confidant of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, he had served as OSD to Naveen Patnaik during the latter's tenure as Union Minister of Steel and Mines. Debasis had also served as private secretary to former Chief Minister late Biju Patnaik. He had sent in his resignation letter to Party President Naveen Patnaik on Sunday. The BJD had denied him a party ticket in the 2019 Assembly elections and since then has been sidelined in the party. Soon after joining BJP, Debashish accused the BJD of sacrificing its ideology and principles. Besides Debasis, former Congress MLA from Attabira constituency Nihar Ranjan Mahananda who had recently quit from the primary membership of the Congress party also joined the BJP on Sunday...////...