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BIju Janata Dal (BJD) lawmaker Debashish Samantaray on mon quit the company and also resigned from the Rajya Sabha, alleging that he was existence “ consistently small” in the organisation, in a move that came as a setback for the Odisha’s principal opposition party.A long-time associate of BJD president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Samantaray (66) told reporters that he would join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) soon. He also said that he met Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan in Parliament and submitted his resignation from the Upper House.In his resignation letter to Patnaik, Samantaray said: “I do hereby resign from the primary membership of BJD… I have always dedicated myself to the interest of the party and have, over the years, worked for the party with utmost conviction and commitment. However, of late I have been systematically belittled in the party and that the party does not require my services.”Samantaray had stepped down as vice-president of the BJD senior citizens’ cell in November 2025, citing dissatisfaction with the party’s functioning. His resignation comes after two other Rajya Sabha MPs — Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mahanta — quit the party and joined the BJP in August and September in 2024. Both were later elected to the Rajya Sabha on BJP tickets.Talking to reporters in Delhi, the three-time former BJD MLA alleged that despite being a close associate of Patnaik for years, he was prevented from meeting the BJD chief.“There is no point in remaining in BJD when I am unable to meet my party president,” he added.With his exit, the BJD only has five members in the Rajya Sabha. Samantaray was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February 2024.The BJD, meanwhile, rejected suggestions that Samantaray’s resignation was a setback to the party.“He left the party to protect his business interests. He was in politics to do business and not to serve the people,” BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik said, adding that his exit would instead strengthen the organisation in Cuttack.

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Setback for BJD as MP quits party, resigns from RS

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