Ex-BJD Leader Amar Satpathy Hints At Formation Of New Regional Outfit
Pandian, a retired IAS officer-turned-politician, had earlier announced his retirement from active politics. However, his continued influence over party affairs has triggered resentment among long-time BJD leaders.
Bhubaneswar: Amar Prasad Satpathy, one of the founder members of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), on Wednesday dropped strong hints about the formation of a parallel political outfit, signalling deepening fissures within the BJD.
Speaking to reporters, Satpathy said only “true BJD workers and supporters” would shape the future of such a new party, adding that the ruling BJD had strayed from its founding principles and was increasingly disconnected from the people and grassroots workers.
Satpathy had recently resigned from the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD citing that the party had drifted away from its principles and ideology.
“The present BJD no longer reflects its original values. If this drift continues, more leaders and workers will part ways in the days ahead,” he warned.
When asked who might emerge as the “Eknath Shinde” of Odisha politics—suggesting the possibility of a rebellion within the BJD—Satpathy responded cryptically: “Who can say if the person is still rising in Gopa or has already reached Mathura?”
His remarks come amid growing unease among both senior and young leaders, including Prafulla Mallick, Sashibhusan Behera, Arun Kumar Sahoo, Ranendra Pratap Swain, Prasanna Patsani, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Srimayee Mishra, Debashis Samantaray, Ashok Chandra Panda, Muzibulla Khan and Harishankar Rout. Several of them have openly voiced dissatisfaction with the party’s functioning under president Naveen Patnaik and his close aide, V Karthikeyan Pandian.
Pandian, a retired IAS officer-turned-politician, had earlier announced his retirement from active politics. However, his continued influence over party affairs has triggered resentment among long-time BJD leaders.
The churn within the party has already led to significant desertions. Ahead of the 2024 general elections, several leaders defected to the BJP. The exodus continues, with former Rajya Sabha member N Bhaskar Rao and ex-cabinet colleague Lal Bihari Himirika resigning from the BJD on Wednesday to float the Biju Swabhiman Manch.
“These developments are no longer isolated incidents. The departure of Bhaskar Rao and Himirika is a statewide phenomenon, not restricted to Rayagada alone. If the BJD continues to abandon its principles, the people of Odisha will gradually drift away from it,” Satpathy said.
Adding to the turbulence, Tathagat Satpathy, a former BJD Lok Sabha MP lashed out at the party for abstaining from the Vice-Presidential election, describing the decision on social media as a “suicidal step.”
Political observers say the rapid turn of events points to the possibility of a vertical split, with founder members and dissidents banding together to launch a new regional force to challenge the BJP’s ascendancy in the state.
