Dama Rout’s Daughter Pritinanda Quits BJD

Bhubaneswar: Daughter of veteran leader Damodar Rout and former corporator of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pritinanda Routray, resigned from the primary membership of the BJD on Saturday.

She sent her resignation letter to the BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

“I have not walked in the footsteps of my father. Resigning from the primary membership of the BJD is my personal decision. I decided to resign as I did not want to remain under pressure. No one asked me to resign from the BJD. I have done what my conscience has driven me to do,” she told the media later.

Asked whether she has any grouse against the party leadership that led to her resignation, Pritinanda said she has no complaint either against the party or its leader. “In fact, the party has given me enough scope and freedom to discharge my responsibility as a BMC corporator,” she pointed out.

Sources in political circles said that Pritinanda will most likely join BJP very soon.

On the other hand, her brother Sambit Routray is lobbying for a BJD ticket to contest from the Paradip constituency.

Earlier, Dama had formally joined the BJP in New Delhi on March 14.