Bhubaneswar: Five-time MLA and former Odisha minister Balabhadra Majhi resigned from the party Monday barely a few months before the simultaneous Lok Sabha and state elections, party sources said.
Majhi sent his resignation to party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik but did not give the reason for the step he took, they said.
In the letter, Majhi wrote, ”I do hereby relinquish from the primary membership of the Biju Janata Dal. Thanks a lot for allowing me to work for long period along with you since formation of the party in 1997.”
Alleged neglect by the party is the reason for his resignation, another source said.
Majhi was first elected to Odisha Assembly from Narla in 1990 on Janata Dal ticket. He was reelected Narla in 1995 and later from Lanjigarh seat in 2000, 2004 and 2014.
In 2009, he lost to Shibaji Majhi of Congress. He was denied the BJD ticket in 2019 and the party fielded Pradeep Kumar Disari from Lanjigarh constituency.
Majhi served as SC, ST development minister in Naveen Patnaik’s Cabinet twice between 2002 and 2006.
PNN & Agencies