Bhubaneswar: Senior political leader and former Odisha MLA Purna Chandra Sethy resigned from the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state.
Sethy, who was MLA from Khallikote in Ganjam district from 2009 to 2019, sent his resignation to BJD president Naveen Patnaik, sources said.
He had won two consecutive Assembly elections held in 2009 and 2014 from Khallikote constituency.
The former legislator said that he has resigned from the primary membership of the ruling party and sent his resignation letter to the party supremo.
Sethy was stated to be unhappy over alleged negligence in the regional party. He had been denied BJD ticket in the 2019 elections.
The ex-MLA said that he decided to quit the party as he felt sidelined in the organisation. Despite being denied a ticket in the last Assembly polls, Sethy said he had campaigned for the party candidate. “However, the party continued to ignore and neglect me,” he claimed.