Bhubaneswar: Though the number of seats won by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got reduced in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the party’s impressive performance in Odisha gave it considerable strength in the formation of government at the Centre. BJP not only won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha but formed government in the state for the first time with a comfortable majority in the Assembly. However, the saffron party’s numerical strength in Rajya Sabha has come down.
In a new development, Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Mahanta resigned from the upper House of Parliament and her resignation was immediately accepted by the Chairman. Mamata has also resigned from the primary membership of BJD. Her move has been described as a political conspiracy of BJP. Mamata had become a member of Rajya Sabha in 2020 and her tenure was to come to an end in 2026. However, she resigned two years before and the move is likely to benefit BJP.
Senior BJD leader and chief whip of the regional party in Odisha Assembly, Pramila Mallik alleged that BJP was behind the move. She claimed that BJP has launched a conspiracy to send one of its leaders to Rajya Sabha. However, BJD is quite strong under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik, she claimed, ruling out any rift inside the party in Mayurbhanj, Mamata’s home district.
Following Mamata’s resignation, a Rajya Sabha seat in Odisha has now fallen vacant. If election for the seat is held now BJP is likely to bag it because of its strength in the Assembly.
