Bhubaneswar: Amid Governing BJD searching for a suitable candidate for Balasore MP seat, senior BJP leader and former Minister Raghunath Mohanty today resigned from the party.
Shri Mohanty along with his family members has resigned from the primary membership of the BJP.
“I do hereby inform you that I and my family members tendered resignation from the primary membership of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with immediate effect,” he said in his resignation letter sent to Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal.
The former Minister told reporters that he decided to quit BJP as its leaders in Balasore have weakened to such an extent that it is impossible to work with them.
“There is a vast difference of ideologies between BJP and me. So, it became impossible for me to remain in the party anymore,” he said.
Following his resignation, speculations are high that Shri Mohanty and his family members would return to BJD and his daughter in-law Barshasoni Choudhury is likely to be named as BJD nominee for Balasore Lok Sabha seat.
While BJP has re-nominated former Union Minister Pratap Sarangi from the seat, speculations are rife that Congress heavyweight, former Union Minister Srikant Jena, who was elected from Balasore Lok Sabha constituency in 2009, would be the Congress nominee from the seat.
A five-time MLA from Basta in Balasore district, Shri Mohanty had contested the 2019 elections from Basta Assembly constituency as a BJP candidate but lost to BJD’s Nityananda Sahoo.
Shri Mohanty was first elected to the State Assembly from Basta under Balasore Lok Sabha Constituency in the 1990 Elections.. He retained the seat in 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2009 elections.
He was expelled from the ruling party following his arrest in a dowry torture case slapped by his daughter-in-law Barsa Sony Choudhury. Later, he was taken back into the party in 2017. However he left the party to join BJP.
