BJD MP Sujeet Kumar resigned from Rajya Sabha on Friday, following which party supremo Naveen Patnaik expelled him from the Biju Janata Dal over anti-party activities.
Kumar has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Addressing his resignation to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Sujeet Kumar wrote, “I do hereby tender my resignation from the Membership of Rajya Sabha today…. I take this opportunity to express my profuse gratitude to you for the opportunities provided to me to raise issues of public importance of my state Odisha, in the House. I could not have done it without your constant guidance.”
Vice-president’s secretariat said Jagdeep Dhankhar had accepted Kumar’s resignation from the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) with immediate effect, finding the same in conformity with Article 101 3(b) of the Constitution.
Immediately following Sujeet Kumar’s resignation, BJD expelled him from the party. In a letter, Biju Janata Dal Supremo Naveen Patnaik wrote, “Sujeet Kumar, MP, Rajya Sabha representing Biju Janata Dal is expelled from the Party with immediate effect for anti-party activities. He has let down the party which sent him to Rajya Sabha and hopes and aspirations of people of Kalahandi district.”
Following Kumar’s resignation, the strength of the BJD in the Upper House fell to seven. It has no representation in the Lok Sabha.
It is to be noted that earlier former BJD MP Mamata Mohanta had resigned from Rajya Sabha MP. She then joined BJP and later re-elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from BJP.
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