Bhubaneswar: Telkoi MLA and former minister Premananda Nayak resigned from the primary membership of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), barely a few months before the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha.
Though his resignation letter is dated October 12, 2023, it came to light on Friday, almost four months later.
Nayak told the media that he felt sidelined in the party. “I was denied access to CM and could not meet him to raise my concerns about the party. We were not happy with inclusion of a former ‘defeated’ Congress leader in BJD before the Panchayat election. It affected the unity in the party and led to factionalism. I tried to raise this issue but in vain. Following which, I decided to quit the party,” he said.
Notably, former Champua MLA Dhanurjay Sidu had joined the BJD in Bhubaneswar about 6-7 months before the Panchayat elections. He was the BJP candidate from Telkoi in 2019 elections and had lost to Nayak by almost 6000 votes. Sidu is believed to have started a parallel organisation within the party, leading to discontent.
It is also pertinent that mention here that Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahi, who was expelled from BJD in 2020, had earlier hinted that Nayak and Athamalik MLA Ramesh Chandra Sai had sent their resignation to the party supremo.
In January, five-time MLA and former Odisha minister Balabhadra Majhi quit the BJD as he said he was neglected in the party.
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