Bhubaneswar/New Delhi, Mar 6: Ahead of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha, senior leader and former Union Minister Srikant Jena returned to the Congress on Wednesday.

Jena, a four-time MP and three-time MLA rejoined the grand old party at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in the national capital in the presence of party's Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar.

Speaking on the occasion, Jena said, “There were some misunderstandings which have now been clarified. I met Congress President (Mallikarjun Kharge), KC Venugopal. We had a long chat with Ajoy ji and it has been sorted out. I have been working in favour of the Congress even though I have been away."

The Congress and INDIA bloc will face BJP-BJD and defeat them, he asserted.

In 2019, Jena was expelled by the Congress on the charge of anti-party activities.

Jena had been elected as MLA in Odisha Legislative Assembly, three times between 1977 and 1989. In 1979-80, he  held the post of Odisha's Minister of State, Industry and Urban Development.

He got elected to Lok Sabha for the first time in 1989 and then subsequently three more times to 9th Lok Sabha, 10th Lok Sabha and 15th Lok Sabha in 1991, 1996 and 2009 respectively. He was the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Chemicals & Fertilisers and Statistics & Programme Implementation in the second UPA government led by Manmohan Singh during 2009-14.

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