Actor Bijay Mohanty joins Congress

BHUBANESWAR: Popular film actor Bijay Mohanty joined the Congress party on Thursday. Mohanty is likely to contest from the prestigious Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha (LS) seat in the forthcoming elections.
"I am not a political personality, but have liked the Congress since childhood. That is why I could not resist joining the party when some senior leaders approached me," Mohanty told reporters.
Though Congress insiders said the party was planning to field the "Bhai Hela Bhagari" star from the Bhubaneswar LS segment, Mohanty said he would abide by whatever role the party assigned him. "It is for the party high command to decide whether they want me to contest. If the party feels I should fight the polls, I will not say no," said the veteran actor who has acted in around 150 films.
Bhubaneswar is represented by Prasanna Patsani of the BJD in the outgoing LS. During the 2009 elections, Patsani had got 4,00,472 votes. Then, Congress candidate Santosh Mohanty had polled 1,47,712 and finished second. "Given his popularity, Mohanty would be the best bet this time," a Congress leader said.