BJD Stronghold in Odisha's Bhadrak Appears to Weaken as Senior Leaders and Workers Exit Party

The Biju Janata Dal ( BJD ) stronghold in Odisha 's Bhadrak appears to be weakening, with several senior leaders and hundreds of workers set to exit the party. Former Bhadrak MP Manjulata Mandal and former Dhamnagar MLA Muktikanta Mandal are expected to resign on Saturday, marking a significant political development in the district. Former district president Jagannath Swain and BJD leader Shashi Sahu are also likely to step down. In addition, Simulia MLA candidate Subasini Sahu is set to leave the party, while more than 500 workers, including several sarpanches and committee members, are expected to follow suit. The anticipated resignations come amid growing uncertainty within the party’s Bhadrak unit. The scale of the exit, involving grassroots workers and senior leaders alike, indicates a major organisational setback for the BJD in the region. Questions have also been raised about whether the leaders quitting the party may join the BJP, although no official confirmation has been made in this regard. The developments follow the BJD’s decision to suspend Manjulata Mandal and Muktikanta Mandal on April 6. In a significant move, the party had taken action against the two senior leaders over allegations of anti-party activities. Manjulata Mandal, a former Member of Parliament from Bhadrak, and Muktikanta Mandal, former MLA from Dhamnagar, were removed from the party citing internal disciplinary concerns. Party sources had indicated that the decision was taken after accusations surfaced regarding activities that allegedly went against the party’s interests.