Less than a week after senior MP Sasmit Patra resigned as chairman of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha, party president Naveen Patnaik on Monday appointed Manas Mangaraj as the new leader in the Upper House.
Patnaik also named Sulata Deo as the deputy leader and chief whip of the BJD parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha.
Mangaraj, 55, a former journalist and media adviser to the Odisha government, joined the BJD in 2018 and started his Rajya Sabha term in July 2022. Considered close to former bureaucrat VK Pandian, his elevation is seen by party leaders as an effort to stabilise the party’s functioning in Parliament at a time of internal strain.
Sasmit Patra resigned last week after four Rajya Sabha MPs wrote to Patnaik seeking his removal from the post of parliamentary party chairman. It is not clear what grounds were cited by the MPs to seek his removal.
The leadership changes come at a politically sensitive time for the BJD, which is navigating organisational challenges following its loss of power in Odisha and signs of rebellion within its legislative ranks. In last month’s Rajya Sabha elections, six BJD MLAs cross-voted in favour of BJP-backed candidate Dilip Ray.
During the March 16 polls for four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha, the BJD had entered into an informal understanding with the Congress in an attempt to win two seats despite having a reduced strength of around 50 MLAs, including suspended members. While the BJD’s first candidate, Santrupt Mishra comfortably won the election, cross-voting by BJD legislators and Congress MLAs enabled hotelier Dilip Ray, an independent candidate backed by the BJP, to secure the fourth seat against the BJD’s Dr Datteswar Hota.
The cross-voting episode triggered disciplinary action within the party and led to the suspension of several MLAs suspected to have gone against the party candidate.
