BJD MLA joins BJP after being denied party ticket

Denial of party tickets to at least 11 sitting MLAs from among the 69 names declared so far for the ensuing Odisha assembly elections by the ruling BJD, had its impact today with Gunupur MLA Ramamurthy Mutika tendering his resignation from the party.
Mutika joined opposition BJP after BJD supremo named Trinath Gamang as the party candidate for Gunupur assembly seat.
Mutika said he will contest from the same Gunupur seat as a BJP candidate.
Earlier, senior leader and former minister Duryodhan Majhi had quit the ruling BJD and joined BJP after he was denied party ticket from Khariar assembly seat. Though Majhi, a former health minister in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet, lost the polls in 2009, he was aspiring for a renomination in 2014. BJD has fielded Lambodar Nial from Khariar.

Other sitting MLAs, who have been denied party ticket though not happy, did not take any steps immediately.
"I have requested BJD president to re-consider the decision. The party may lose the seat if Raghuram Macho, a school teacher having no political network, is made the candidate," Raghuram Podal, the sitting MLA from Koraput, said.

School and mass education minister Rabi Narayan Nanda, who has been renominated from Jeypore assembly seat, however, said that those sitting MLAs denied BJD ticket will be given suitable place in the party. "They should work together to ensure victory of the party candidates," Nanda said.

Similarly, Latika Pradhan, whose name was announced by BJD president Naveen Patnaik as the party candidate from Kabisurya Nagar and today replaced by senior leader V Suganana Kumar Deo, said she will consult the workers and well wishers to take a decision on her future course of action.
Senior BJD leader and former mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) Siba Shankar Das has resigned from the ruling party.
He has joined the BJP and is likely to contest as a BJP candidate from Berhampur assembly seat against the BJD candidate R C Chyau Patnaik. "The BJD has done injustice towards me by not giving me the party ticket," Das said.