Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has expelled former MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal from the party with immediate effect, citing indiscipline and anti-party activities.
The decision came just hours after Biswal, a former legislator from Cuttack-Choudwar, publicly criticised the party leadership over the nomination of Santrupt Misra, political secretary to BJD president Naveen Patnaik, for one of the Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha. Three-time former MLA reportedly confronted the party supremo during a meeting at Naveen Niwas on Saturday.
Sources indicate that Biswal questioned why long-serving grassroots workers were overlooked in favour of Misra, sparking a heated exchange that led Naveen to ask him to leave the premises.
Speaking to reporters after the expulsion, the former legislator, who was accompanied by his son Souvic Biswal (a sitting BJD MLA) during the announcement meeting, described the promotion of certain leaders as unacceptable. “I told Naveen Patnaik to choose someone who has given his blood and sweat for the party. Instead, he has chosen a person who joined recently,” he said, expressing disappointment over the candidate selection process.
Biswal alleged that some individuals were benefiting significantly while ordinary BJD workers struggled to make ends meet. “We have worked so hard but someone else is getting away with Rs 4,000 crore while BJD workers are not even able to earn one square meal a day,” he said, without providing further details.
He emphasised the need for collective decision-making among senior leaders to prevent further damage to the party’s standing and said that he would write a letter to Naveen, requesting a discussion on key issues.
BJD MP Debashish Samantray criticised Biswal for daring to challenge the party chief’s decision. “Biswal was instrumental in a foiled coup bid against Naveen in 2012,” he alleged.
Biswal was first elected to the Assembly as an Independent MLA from the Cuttack Sadar seat in 2004 and later joined the BJD. Though he was earlier suspended by the Conch party following the May 29 alleged coup attempt by Naveen’s former adviser Pyarimohan Mohapatra, his suspension was withdrawn months later, in February 2013, and he was later given the party ticket in the 2014 Assembly polls. He was elected twice as a party candidate from Choudwar in 2009 and 2014. He, however, was arrested by the CBI in September 2017 for his alleged role in a chit-fund scam and later released on bail. Following which, his son Souvic was given the ticket and he has been representing the Cuttack-Choudwar seat since 2019, winning again in 2024.
Senior BJD MLA Pramila Mallik said the political affairs committee, the highest decision-making authority in the party, had authorised Naveen to take a decision on the Rajya Sabha nominations. She emphasised that all MLAs were thoroughly consulted before the candidates were announced, and reaffirmed that the party stands united.
