Congress Loses Another Senior Leader To BJD In Odisha; 4-Time MLA Chiranjib Biswal Jumps Ship

Bhubaneswar: A day after quitting Congress, four-time former MLA Chiranjib Biswal joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the ruling party in Odisha, on Sunday.

He was inducted into the regional party in the presence of Rajya Sabha members Sasmit Patra and Manas Mangaraj, during a joining ceremony at BJD’s headquarters, Shankha Bhawan, here.

Son of Congress stalwart Basant Kumar Biswal, Chiranjib submitted his resignation letter to Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak on Saturday, dealing a blow to the party’s prospects in Jagatsinghpur district.

Chiranjib was elected to the assembly on a Congress ticket from Tirtol in 2004 and Jagatsinghpur in 2014. He, however, was suspended along with Barabati-Cuttack MLA Mohammed Moquim on July 15, 2023 ,for alleged anti-party activities.

While their suspension was revoked on January 23, Chiranjib kept himself away from party affairs. His absence during announcement of the party’s manifesto for the upcoming elections in the state had already set off speculations about the former MLA quitting the party and joining BJD.

The Congress earlier received a setback when former MLA Anshuman Mohanty quit the party on February 14 and joined BJD two days later. Mohanty, whom BJD nominated as its MP candidate for Kendrapada, had won from Rajnagar assembly constituency in 2014. He, however, lost the seat to BJD’s Dhruba Sahoo in 2019.