Sambalpur:Former Sambalpur MLA Raseswari Panigrahi on Tuesday resigned from the primary membership of the BJD, apparently protesting denial of party ticket to her to contest the forthcoming 2024 assembly polls
Panigrahi represented Sambalpur in the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2019.
She dropped enough hints that she resigned from the party in protest against fielding an “outsider” as the candidate for Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat and giving ticket to an “ineligible candidate” for the local assembly seat.
“I resigned from the BJD to uphold the dignity and honour of Sambalpur. I will work for the self-esteem and self-respect of this land,” said, adding, she would refrain from electoral politics for some time now.
Panigrahi’s “outsider” remark is seen as directed against Pranab Prakash Das, the BJD organising secretary hailing from coastal Odisha district of Jajpur. Das is contesting from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat and is pitted against BJP stalwart and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The BJD has fielded Rohit Pujari for Sambalpur assembly seat.
Panigrahi’s “ineligible” tag is also seen as directed against former minister Rohit Pujari. On June 23, 2023, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had dropped Pujari from his cabinet on the ground of ‘poor performance.’
