Former BJD Leader Mamata Mahanta Joins BJP After Resigning from Rajya Sabha

Mamata Mahanta, a former Rajya Sabha MP, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, a day after resigning from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Mahanta stated, “My only aim is the service and welfare of the public. It can be fulfilled only by joining the BJP.”

Meanwhile, BJD workers protested against Mahanta and burned her effigy in different parts of Odisha, including Mayurbhanj. Mahanta, who belongs to the Kudumi tribals of Mayurbhanj, resigned from the BJD and Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. In her resignation letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman, she wrote, “I do hereby tender my resignation from the membership of Rajya Sabha, today, i.e. July 31, 2024. I have taken this decision consciously.”

She also expressed her gratitude for the opportunities given to her to raise issues of public importance in the House. Mahanta posted about her resignation on her official X handle, thanking the BJD president for the opportunities to serve her district and state.

In her resignation letter to Naveen Patnaik, she stated, “I do hereby resign from the Primary Membership of Biju Janata Dal on July 31, 2024. I sincerely express my gratitude to your goodself for giving me an opportunity to serve the people of Mayurbhanj and also to take the cause of Odisha at the national level.” She added, “However, I feel that there is no requirement of the services of myself as well as my community in the Biju Janata Dal. Therefore, I have taken this hard decision in the public interest.”

BJD MP Sulata Deo criticized Mahanta for joining the BJP, stating, “All MPs are not ‘bikau’. Now, no MP will go. You (the BJP) can do horse-trading but you can’t do leader trading. We will continue to fight for Naveen Patnaik and BJD until the end.”

In the 18th Lok Sabha elections, the BJD faced a significant setback, failing to secure any of the 21 seats, while the BJP won 20 seats and Congress managed to win one seat. In the state assembly elections, the BJD won 51 out of 147 seats, while the BJP secured a majority by winning 78 seats. The Biju Janata Dal, which has ruled Odisha since 1997, lost to the BJP, breaking the 24-year-old reign of Naveen Patnaik as the Chief Minister.