‘BJD’s number will be reduced to zero in Rajya Sabha soon’

After Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar resigned from BJD on August 2 and September 6, respectively and joined BJP subsequently to become Rajya Sabha members, speculation is rife that many more leaders from the Opposition party in Odisha are in line to jump the ship.

Discussions are doing rounds that some BJD leaders including Subhasish Khuntia and Niranjan Bishi may join the saffron party ranks soon.

As per BJP, many BJD MPs are in contact with BJP and BJD’s number may be reduced to zero in Rajya Sabha soon.

“Many BJD MPs and MLAs are in contact with us and they may join the BJP soon. Their number will be reduced to zero in Rajya Sabha soon. That is the reason why Naveen Patnaik is sitting with some BJD leaders in groups to prove that their party still exists. However, there will be no existence of their party soon,” said BJP leader Saroj Padhi.

In response, BJD said that BJP has an agenda to disintegrate other parties.

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“BJP’s agenda is to break other parties and they are planning it accordingly. Our party will be strengthened further when more opportunists leave,” said BJD leader Sarada Prasanna Jena.

However, no reactions could be obtained either from Subhasish Khuntia or Niranjan Bishi regarding the speculation about them joining the BJP.

As per reports, it was earlier decided in the BJD parliamentary meeting before the winter session of the Assembly that the party will raise various issues of the State in the House in a vociferous manner. However, nothing like this has occurred so far. Under such circumstances, many grassroots leaders at the panchayat level are losing their confidence in the party leadership and heading towards the BJP.

“BJD has now turned into a pack of cards and it may crumble at any moment. Many leaders of the party are having a second thought and they are looking for opportunities to extend their hands to BJP,” said political analyst Prasanna Mohanty.