By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Former Union Minister Dilip Ray, whose conviction in a coal scam case, was stayed by Delhi High Court is likely to join BJP and contest upcoming Assembly election in Odisha from Rourkela Assembly seat.
In November 2018, the former Union Minister had resigned from BJP and also from the position as MLA.
However, it is speculated that he may again join the BJP and fight for Rourkela Assembly seat as he recently met BJP’s national leadership in New Delhi.
As the court granted him relief, all eyes are now on Rourkela Assembly constituency, from where Shri Ray was elected thrice. While BJD has re-nominated Sarada Prasad Nayak, BJP is yet to announce a candidate for the MLA seat.
Ray has been sentenced to three-year jail term in the case pertaining to irregularities in the allocation of a Jharkhand block in 1999. The High Court stayed the conviction to enable him to contest the upcoming Odisha legislative assembly elections.
Former Minister Coal was sentenced to three years in jail on 26 October, 2020 by a trial court which had also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on him. The former Union Minister, in his petition to the Court, said that he wishes to contest the upcoming Odisha Legislative Assembly elections and this could be his last chance to serve the people.
