Fresh setback for BJD as Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray quits

Senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray resigned from the party and the Upper House, alleging he was being sidelined within the organisation

In a fresh setback to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Debashish Samantaray on Monday resigned from the party, alleging that he had been increasingly sidelined within the organisation.

 

His exit marks the third resignation by a BJD Rajya Sabha member since the regional outfit lost power in Odisha in 2024, amid concerns over internal discontent and erosion of leadership cohesion in the party led by former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

 

In his resignation letter addressed to Patnaik, Samantaray said he no longer felt valued within the party structure and claimed that he had been “systematically belittled” in recent times. He said the circumstances had compelled him to sever ties with the BJD and that he had taken the decision in public interest.

 

 

The Rajya Sabha member also submitted his resignation from the Upper House to Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan. With his departure, the BJD’s numerical strength in the Rajya Sabha will reduce to five members.

 

Samantaray’s resignation has fuelled speculation over his possible entry into the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially since two former BJD Rajya Sabha members — Mamata Mahanta and Sujeet Kumar — had earlier resigned from the regional party and were subsequently re-elected to the Upper House with BJP backing.

 

Once a close aide of Patnaik and a prominent political figure from Cuttack, Samantaray had long been regarded as one of the senior leaders within the BJD. A two-time MLA from the Barabati-Cuttack Assembly constituency, he represented the seat in 2009 and 2014 before losing the 2019 election to Congress leader Mohammad Moquim.

 

Despite the electoral defeat, Patnaik nominated him to the Rajya Sabha ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In his letter, Samantaray acknowledged Patnaik’s role in his political journey and thanked him for providing an opportunity to serve Odisha at the national level.

 

The resignation, however, did not come entirely unexpectedly. Over the past year, Samantaray had publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the BJD and repeatedly criticised the influence of former bureaucrat-turned-politician V K Pandian within the party.

 

He had alleged that despite Pandian’s announcement of withdrawal from active politics following the BJD’s 2024 electoral defeat, he continued to exert indirect influence over party affairs.

 

Samantaray had earlier resigned from the post of vice-president of the BJD senior citizens’ cell in November 2025 after objecting to what he termed a “bureaucratic” style of functioning within the organisation. He was reportedly unhappy over being assigned a marginal organisational responsibility despite his seniority in the party.

 

He had also accused the BJD of gradually moving away from the ideological principles of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik. The latest development adds to a series of resignations and defections that have unsettled the BJD after its defeat in both the 2024 Odisha Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

 

The BJD, however, attempted to downplay the political significance of Samantaray’s exit. Senior party leader and Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik dismissed suggestions that the resignation would weaken the organisation. She alleged that Samantaray had prioritised personal and business interests over party ideology and asserted that the BJD would emerge stronger in Cuttack following his departure.

 

Mallik also pointed out that the party had repeatedly elevated Samantaray by making him a legislator twice, nominating him to the Rajya Sabha and entrusting him with organisational responsibilities during the BJD’s years in power.