LS Speaker Accepts Baijayant Panda’s Resignation

Bhubaneswar: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday said she has accepted the resignation of BJD Kendrapara MP, Baijayant Panda.

“I have accepted the resignation of Baijayant Panda on July 18,” Mahajan informed the members in the Lower House.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Panda had said he has bid adieu after being a member of the Parliament for 18 years, 3 months, 2 weeks and one day.

He said he had met the Speaker on July 17 and told her that he cannot represent his former party anymore as it has strayed too far from its original principles.

Baijayant was suspended from the primary membership of BJD by the party supremo Naveen Patnaik on January 24 on the basis of the report submitted by two senior party leaders Pramila Mallick and Usha Devi.

After his suspension from the party, he resigned from the BJD on May 28 and later sent his letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 12 with a request to accept it.