Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has suspended former Bhadrak MP Manjulata Mandal and her husband, former Dhamnagar MLA Muktikanta Mandal, for alleged anti-party activities.
Party sources indicated that the couple had been engaging with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), actions seen as detrimental to BJD’s interests in Bhadrak district. Speculation is rife that both leaders may formally join the BJP in the near future.
Manjulata won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Bhadrak on a BJD ticket, defeating BJP’s Avimanyu Sethi. However, she lost the seat to Sethi in the 2024 general elections. Her husband, Muktikanta, won the Dhamnagar Assembly seat in 2014 by defeating BJP’s Bishnu Charan Sethi but was not renominated by the BJD for subsequent polls.
While express surprise over the suspension, Muktikanta said that he was unaware of the reasons behind the decision as he had not engaged in any anti-party activities. He highlighted his grassroots political beginnings as a sarpanch and suggested that misleading reports from certain individuals might have prompted the action.
The development comes amid reports of unrest within the BJD ranks in Bhadrak, with several leaders reportedly exploring ties with the BJP. Political observers note that the suspensions reflect the party’s efforts to maintain discipline ahead of future electoral battles.
