80-year-old tribal leader and former Odisha Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang has returned to the Congress after nearly eight years. The veteran leader, who had resigned from the Congress in 2015, officially rejoined the party at a ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday, alongside his wife Hema Gamang, son Sishir Gamang, and ex-Bargarh MP Sanjay Bhoi.
The rejoining event, graced by the presence of Congress Odisha incharge Ajoy Kumar, marked a notable homecoming for Gamang and his associates.
Last year, Giridhar Gamang had briefly joined the BRS at the party’s headquarters in Telangana, shortly after parting ways with the BJP. His return to the Congress signifies a reunion with the party he had been associated with for 43 years before joining the saffron party in 2015.
Having served as a Lok Sabha representative from the Koraput constituency for nine consecutive terms since 1972, Gamang has been a prominent figure in Odisha’s political landscape. His extensive career included holding key positions such as Union Minister of Communications, Food Processing Industries, and Mines under various Congress governments.
Notably, Gamang faced scrutiny for his role in the no-confidence motion that led to the downfall of the Vajpayee-led NDA Government by a single vote in April 1999. Despite being the Chief Minister of Odisha at the time, Gamang, then a Congress member of the Lok Sabha, voted against the motion, contributing to the government’s defeat.
