Argus News - Debashish Samantaray Resigns From BJD Post, Highlights Party Discord in Letter to Naveen

Bhubaneswar, Nov 25: Internal tensions within the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have reportedly intensified following consecutive defeats in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, and the 2025 Nuapada bypoll. Differences over leadership style, allocation of responsibilities, and local unit management have come to the forefront, with senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray resigning from the post of vice president on Tuesday.

The rift became public on Monday after Samantaray sent a strongly-worded letter to BJD President and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, rejecting his recent appointment "in the rank of Vice President" of the party's Senior Citizen Cell. He described the designation as "bureaucratic, demeaning and humiliating."

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The letter, dated November 24, 2025, suggests a deeper ideological conflict within the party. Samantaray, a sitting MP and member of key parliamentary committees, voiced concerns about the place for loyalists of the party's founding legacy, hinting that the BJD has deviated from the "Biju legacy."

Expressing his "disappointment" despite his "unflinching loyalty," Samantaray delivered a stark assessment of the party's post-2024 election scenario. He stated that the party has "failed to accept the cause or to take remedial measures" for the electoral defeat, a reason he claims is "on the lips of every worker and supporter."

In a critical observation, he noted that the BJD lost "despite a popular Chief Minister," and urged Naveen Patnaik to personally intervene to "thwart any attempt being made to weaken our party, almost as if, there is a design to it."

While humbly stating his inability to accept the party post, Samantaray reaffirmed his commitment to remain "merely a worker of BJD" dedicated to the "Biju-Naveen line of thought and action."

The public airing of such grievances by a senior leader marks a significant challenge for the BJD as it navigates its role as the principal opposition party in Odisha, pointing to underlying discontent over its strategy and direction.