Bhubaneswar, Sept. 29: Former BJD MLA from Bijepur Ashok Panigrahy is set to join the BJP on October 2, bringing to an end the Opposition party's search for a suitable candidate for the upcoming bypoll in the constituency.

The seat fell vacant in August following the death of Subal Sahu who had won from the constituency on a Congress ticket in 2014.

Panigrahy told The Telegraph that he would join the BJP at a 'Mishran Parva' (joining festival) at Jagannath Nagar at Barpali in Bargarh district on October 2.

'I consulted my supporters before taking the decision. They are as unhappy as I am at the way things are moving in the BJD,' said the bearded leader who had won the Bijepur seat on the party ticket in 2000. However, he was expelled from the party in 2014 after he had contested as an Independent against BJD's official candidate Prasanna Acharya, who lost narrowly to his Congress rival.

Panigrahy, who said he would join the BJP in the presence of party's top state-level leaders - including state president Basant Panda, legislature party leader K.V. Singh Deo and Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram - has been spewing venom against chief minister Naveen Patnaik since Subal Sahu's widow Rita Sahu and son Sumit joined the BJD at Naveen Nivas on September 23.

Last week, the chief minister also announced that Rita would be the BJD's official candidate for the Bijepur bypoll.

'There is resentment even within the BJD over the joining of Rita and other members of Subal Sahu's family. It is after much thought that I decided to join the BJP. My followers stand solidly behind me,' said Panigrahy who had recently stirred a controversy by alleging that he had contested the 2014 election from Bijepur as an Independent with the tacit support of chief minister Naveen Patnaik who wanted the BJD's official candidate Prasanna Acharya, presently a Rajya Sabha member, to lose.

The chief minister, however, dismissed the allegation as baseless.

Though Panigrahy said he was joining the BJP without any conditions, speculation is rife that the party would pit him against Rita Sahu in the constituency. His candidature, however, is likely to trigger resentment within the BJP leaders in Bargarh.

Senior BJP leader from the area Jaynarayan Sahu made his displeasure at the move clear saying that the local leaders would find it hard to accept Panigrahy who had for so long been fighting against them.

However, BJP spokesperson Pruthviraj Harichandan said in Bhubaneswar that the fears about a revolt within the Bargarh unit of the party at the joining of Panigrahy were unfounded. 'There is no resentment and there will be no resistance to his joining,' said Harichandan.

On the other hand, co-operation minister and senior BJD leader Surya Narayan Patro indicated that switching of loyalties by Panigrahy was unlikely to have any major impact on the outcome of the bypoll in Bijepur. 'He had contested the last election as an Independent and got around 10,000 votes. I don't think he is going to make any impact,' said the minister.