Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has suffered a significant setback in Talcher in Angul district, with Municipality Chairperson Pabitra Bhutia and 13 councillors resigning from the party’s primary membership. The move has sparked speculation that they may join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) soon.
The development is seen as a major blow to the BJD’s stronghold in the area. Senior BJD leaders, including Talcher MLA and Angul district BJD president Braj Kishore Pradhan, attempted to persuade the chairperson and councillors to stay, but to no avail.
The resigning councillors include Asif Khan, Yashwant Mishra, Lipika Behera, Sanjib Kumar Behera, Jitendra Bhutia, Mamata Rout, Ajit Kumar Sahu, Nirupma Pattapanayak, Sanjib Kumar Gadnayak, Balbinder Kuanr, Sabita Paul, Lina Sahu, and Anita Biswal.
The group is expected to join the BJP at the state office in Bhubaneswar on November 28.
