Former Odisha MLA Rajendra Das Returns To BJD After Quitting BJP Following Ticket Withdrawal

Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha MLA Rajendra Kumar Das joined Biju Janata Dal (BJD) along with his supporters on Thursday night after resigning from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) .

The move came two days after the saffron party replaced him with Parshuram Dhada as its candidate from Soro Assembly seat in Balasore district.

Das, a former MLA from Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district, formally joined BJD in the presence of the ruling party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra and several senior leaders.

Sources said Das earlier sent his resignation letter to Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal conveying his decision to quit the primary membership of the party.

It may be noted here that BJP had initially allotted ticket for Soro Assembly seat to Rajendra Das, a former MLA from Dhamnagar.

However, the saffron party withdrew the ticket at the eleventh hour and allotted it to Parshuram Dhada, also a former MLA.

Dhada, a two-time MLA from Soro, had joined the BJP after resigning from BJD recently.

Rajendra Das, a former BJD legislator, had revolted against the ruling party during the by-election in Dhamnagar in 2022.