Bhubaneswar: A former MLA from Salipur in Cuttack district, Prakash Behera, Thursday resigned from the opposition Biju Janata Dal and sent his resignation letter to party president Naveen Patnaik.
In the letter to Patnaik, the former MLA said he was resigning from the party after giving much thought to the matter.
Last time he contested from the Barabati-Cuttack constituency on a BJD ticket, but lost the polls.
Behera had won the Salipur Assembly seat on a Congress ticket in 2014.
But he quit the Congress and joined the BJP before the 2019 elections.
He then resigned from the saffron party before the 2024 elections and joined the BJD, following which he was allotted a ticket for the Barabati-Cuttack seat.
“I have quit BJD, but not politics,” Behera told reporters, adding that he has not decided on the party he would join. He said he would continue to work for the people.
Behera’s resignation has come as a setback to the Patnaik lead party as the BJD has launched a membership drive October 9.
PTI