Ex-Rajya Sabha MP and leader from the Kudumi community of Odisha, Mamata Mahanta, finally became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday. This action was taken a day after she submitted her resignation from the Rajya Sabha membership as well as from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Mahanta, a member of the Rajya Sabha from BJD since March 2020, resigned two years before the completion of the term of this upper house. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar later acknowledged her resignation, saying, “I have received a letter today from Mamata Mahanta resigning her seat in the Rajya Sabha, She has resigned in writing I have found it constitutionally proper which is why I have accepted it. ”
On her own accord, Mahanta was very instrumental in articulating the plight of the Mayurbhanj people and advocating for Odisha matters at the central level as a minister. Still, in a statement posted on X, she resigned and said, “I hereby offer my sincerest gratitude for letting me serve the people of Mayurbhanj and also for taking the fight for Odisha to the national level. But, as much as I find no need for myself or my community in the BJD, I have come out with this hard decision for the interest of the public. ”
Reports close to Mahanta suggested she decided to leave BJD because she was unhappy with the party trends. She stated that she was restricted in executing her docket; she could not spend the MPLAD funds as she desired due to instructions from the topmost party hierarchy. This resignation has affected BJD negatively because the party has only eight members in the Rajya Sabha.
The engagement of another BJD representative in the affair was commented on by Odisha BJP MLA Ashok Mohanty, who said that Mahanta’s resignation demonstrated a wide range of dissatisfaction with the BJD leadership.
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