Former Khallikote MLA Purna Chandra Sethi Resigns From BJD

Bhubaneswar:  Purna Chandra Sethi, the erstwhile Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Khallikote, has tendered his resignation from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), citing perceived marginalization within the party as the impetus behind his departure. Sethi, who served as the MLA for the Khallikote Assembly Constituency from 2009 to 2019, purportedly found himself sidelined when he was reportedly denied a ticket for the 2019 elections.

Expressing his discontent, Sethi has dispatched his resignation missive to the party’s apex leader and Odisha’s Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik. Despite the setback of not receiving a party nomination in 2019, Sethi claims to have actively campaigned for the BJD’s chosen candidate, Suryamani Vaidya, who eventually secured victory in the electoral race for the constituency.

Sethi’s decision to step down from his position comes hot on the heels of Bhartruhari Mahtab, a six-time Member of Parliament under the BJD banner, resigning from the party, alleging a similar sentiment of being sidelined and disregarded.

Adding to the tumult within the BJD ranks, earlier two incumbent MLAs, Arabinda Dhali from the Jaydev assembly seat and Premananda Nai from the Telkoi constituency, have also tendered their resignations from the party, opting to align themselves with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Further exacerbating the exodus, prominent tribal leader Balabhadra Maji, who formerly held a ministerial portfolio within the BJD, has recently severed ties with the party, opting to join the BJP, marking yet another significant defection.