Bhubaneswar, July 14: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) suffered a major organisational setback on Tuesday after more than two-thirds of its elected corporators in Belpahad Municipality resigned from the party’s primary membership, alleging dissatisfaction with the functioning of the organisation in the Brajarajnagar Assembly constituency.
The corporators submitted their resignation letters to BJD president Naveen Patnaik through the party’s Jharsuguda district president. District social media coordinator Tosif Alam also tendered his resignation, adding to the setback for the regional party.
The mass resignation was announced during a press conference held at the Belpahad Municipal Kalyan Mandap in the presence of suspended senior BJD leader Hitesh Thakkar, under whose leadership the local municipal unit had been functioning.
In their resignation letter, the corporators expressed deep respect for Naveen Patnaik and appreciated his vision for Odisha’s development and commitment to public welfare. However, they said the prevailing organisational environment in the Brajarajnagar Assembly constituency had made it impossible for them to continue working within the party.
The leaders alleged that grassroots workers and elected representatives were being repeatedly ignored and denied due recognition despite their efforts to strengthen the organisation and serve the public. They claimed that several attempts to bring these concerns to the attention of the party leadership had failed to yield any positive response.
The resigning corporators held former Brajarajnagar MLA Alka Mohanty responsible for the prevailing situation, alleging that the continued neglect of party workers had created widespread dissatisfaction within the organisation.
They clarified that their decision was not directed against Naveen Patnaik or the ideology of the BJD. The corporators also expressed disappointment over the suspension of Hitesh Thakkar, stating that the action had deeply hurt party workers and further weakened the organisational structure in Belpahad.
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