Another sitting BJD MP quits party

Bhubaneswar, Mar 30 Biju Janata Dal MP and former Union Minister Arjun Sethi Saturday resigned from the regional party after he was denied ticket to challenge the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

BJD president had replaced the eight-time MP from Bhadrak Lok Sabha constituency with Manjulata Mandal, the wife of sitting party MLA Muktikant Mandal.

The 78-year-old Sethi has presented his resignation letter to Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik. He has stopped as Member of Parliament just as from the post of Bhadrak district BJD president.

Sethi said "I needed to meet Naveen Patnaik however was not given an arrangement. I waited for four hours but failed to meet him. At this old age, it was embarrassing that I needed to hang tight for such a long time."

"I am pained that neither I nor my child was offered ticket to challenge in the following polls," Sethi told reporters.

He claimed that Patnaik had earlier guaranteed him to think about his candidature or offering ticket to his son.

Bhadrak Youth BJD president Durga Prasanna Das, a supporter of Sethi, also resigned from the party.

Sethi, who was Union Minister for Water Resources in the A B Vajpeyee Ministry from 2000 to 2004, is the fourth BJD MP, to have resigned from the party.

Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi, Kandhamal MP Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh and Kalahandi MP Arka Keshari Deo have just left the BJD.

While Panda, Majhi and Singh have joined BJP, the BJD president has not accepted the resignation of Deo. Sethi was yet to take choice on his next course of action.

Sources said Sethi may also join BJP, if the saffron party makes him a competitor from Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat. BJP was yet to announce the name of its candidate from Bhadrak (SC), Jagatsinghpur (SC), Jajpur (SC) and Mayurbhanj (ST) Lok Sabha seat.

At least five sitting MLAs have also resigned the BJD and joined BJP following denial of renomination.

The BJD has expelled three leaders from the party for anti-party activities in front of the polls in Odisha.

"BJD president Naveen Patnaik today expelled Siba Prasad Gouda and K Ramkrishna from Gunupur voting public in Rayagada. Plus, Kanhu Singh from Banki supporters in Cuttack region has also been expelled from the party. The trio has been expelled from the party for their indulgence in anti-party exercises," BJD state secretary Bijay Nayak said in a release.



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