Sitting BJD MP resigns from the party

Rebel activities over the distribution of tickets for the ensuing Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha have already begun in the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) with the resignation of a sitting party MP Balabhadra Majhi from the primary membership of the regional outfit on Thursday.

Majhi, who was elected to Lok Sabha from the tribal-dominated Nowranpur constituency, said that he decided to quit the BJD as he was being sidelined and neglected in the party for the last few days.

He said that he has sent his resignation letter to party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

“As I could not get the opportunity to meet the party president, I handed over the resignation letter to his political secretary,” the tribal leader said.

Nowrangpur is one of the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha which will go to polls in the first phase of polling on April 11.

The other three constituencies are Koraput, Kalahandi and Berhampur.

Though the BJD is yet to finalize its nominees for the four Lok Sabha seats as well as the 28 Assembly constituencies, speculations are rife in political circles that the regional outfit is seriously considering to field new candidates in all the four Parliament constituencies in place of sitting MPs.

Ramesh Majhi, a minister in the state cabinet is likely to be the BJD nominee from Nowrangpur.

He is currently an MLA from Jharigam, an Assembly segment under Nowrangpur Lok Sabha constituency.

Similarly, Jhina Hikaka, the sitting MP from Koraput is likely to be replaced by his wife Kausalya Hikaka, a former school teacher.

In the high profile Berhampur constituency, the BJD may replace the actor and two time MP, Sidhanta Mohapatra, with former Union minister Chandrasekhar Sahu.

The Congress veteran and a former MP from the constituency had resigned from the party and joined the BJD last year.