BJD MP Mamata Mohanta resigns from Rajya Sabha
Mamata Mohanta has also resigned from primary membership of Biju Janata Dal
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Member of Parliament Mamata Mohanta on Wednesday tendered her resignation from Rajya Sabha. The move is seen as the first significant setback to the regional party which lost power in Odisha after 24 years.
Ms. Mohanta has resigned from her primary membership in the BJD, sparking speculation about her next move. Her resignation has been accepted leading decrease in the number of BJD members in the Rajya Sabha from nine to eight.
“I have received a letter from Mamata Mohanta from Odisha on July 31, resigning from her seat in Rajya Sabha. She has addressed the chairperson in her resignation letter and handed it personally to me. The same I find to be constitutionally in order. I have accepted resignation of Ms Mohanta with immediate effect,” Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar announced in the Upper House.
In her resignation letter, Ms. Mohanta expressed her gratitude for opportunities given to her to raise issues of public importance in the House.
In another letter addressed to Naveen Patnaik, BJD president, she stated, “I sincerely express my gratitude to your goodself for giving me an opportunity to serve the people of Mayurbhanj and also to take cause of Odisha at the national level.”
“However, I feel that there is no requirement of the services of myself as well as my community in the BJD. Therefore, I have taken this hard decision in public interest,” she pointed out.
Ms. Mohanta, 48, was elected to the Rajya Sabha on April 3, 2020, with her term set to conclude in April 2026.
The BJD nominated her on the backdrop of party’s lackluster performance in the Mayurbhanj district, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had secured six out of nine Assembly seats in 2019 elections.
Nomination of Ms. Mohanta, who hails from the Kudumi community that has a significant presence in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts, was part of the BJD’s strategy to bolster its support from this community. The former MP is a leading member of Kudumi community, which has been demanding tribe status.
In 2024 election, the BJP has completely swept Mayurbhanj district winning all nine Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat.
Sources indicate that Ms. Mohanta was frustrated due to the alleged interference by senior BJD leaders in the spending of her MP-LAD funds. With the resignation, the BJP is all set to bag a seat in Rajya Sabha.
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