Former Women Panel Chief Jyoti Panigrahi, Husband Quit BJD Ahead Of Odisha Polls

Bhubaneswar: Former chairperson of the State Commission for Women Jyoti Panigrahi and her husband Saroj Panigrahi resigned from primary member of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday.

“After being associated with BJD and Janata Dal for around 30 years, with a heavy and saddened heart, I am tendering my resignation from the position of senior vice president of Biju Mahila Janata Dal and observer of Sundargarh district, along with all other positions, responsibilities and primary membership of Biju Janata Dal,” Jyoti mentioned in the letter to BJD president Naveen Patnaik.

“The current asymmetry within the party and the forced loneliness in the chaos where the decisions are made in silos with absolutely no access to the party supreme leadership has put me to this compulsion to leave the party today,” she added.

Saroj also mentioned about sidelining of true associates of BJD as the reason behind his decision to quit the regional party. “With a heavy heart, I regret to inform you today that lam resigning from my primary membership with Biju Janata Dal after almost a life time association of around 47 years, 1977 to 1997 with Late Biju Babu and then with BJD since its inception till date,” he wrote.