Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Debasish Samantray on Monday resigned from the primary membership of the party. He was considered as a close aide of Naveen Patnaik. The BJD has 6 Rajya Sabha members including Samantaray. He sent his resignation letter to BJD president Naveen Patnaik and said in the letter that he felt systematically belittled and that the party no longer required his services.
Samantaray's resignation comes months after two other Rajya Sabha MPs -- Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mahanta -- quit the party. Mahanta and Kumar were later elected to the Rajya Sabha on BJP tickets.
After tendering resignation, he says, "This morning, I tendered my resignation from the BJD. I have written to the BJD President, Naveen Patnaik, resigning from the primary membership of the party. I met the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha today, and have also submitted my resignation from the Rajya Sabha."
Debasish Samantray expresses gratitude to Naveen Patnaik
However, he expressed gratitude to Naveen Patnaik for nominating him to the Rajya Sabha and allowing him to serve the people of the undivided Cuttack district and Odisha at the national level.
After Debashish Samantaray’s exits the BJD, the party’s strength in the Rajya Sabha will further decline to five members. There is also speculation that, after joining the BJP, Samantaray could be re-elected to Parliament with the party’s support.
Samantaray says he always worked for party with conviction
In the letter dated May 25, 2026, Samantaray stated that he had always worked for the party with conviction and commitment but decided to step down in the public interest. He described the decision as difficult but necessary.
He had repeatedly alleged that despite announcing his "sanyas" from active politics, Pandian continued to influence the functioning of the regional party from behind the scenes. Earlier, Samantaray had resigned from the post of vice-president of the BJD senior citizens' cell in November 2025. At that time, he had voiced dissatisfaction with the party's functioning. He also alleged that the BJD drifted away from the ideology and principles of former CM Biju Patnaik.
In February last year, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik announced the names of former MLA Debashish Samantaray and party leader Subhasish Khuntia as its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
Here’s what BJP MP Rabindra Narayan Behera says
On Biju Janata Dal Rajya Sabha MP Debasish Samantray resigns from the party, BJP MP Rabindra Narayan Behera says, "Right now in Odisha, the BJD is losing its wickets one by one. There was no good governance during the BJD rule. Everyone within that party felt suffocated. Now that the Bharatiya Janata Party's "Double Engine" government has come to power, good governance is prevailing in Odisha. It is expected that he will join the Bharatiya Janata Party. If he does join the party, whatever decision the party takes regarding him, we will welcome it wholeheartedly..."
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BJD names Debasish Samantray, Subhasish Khuntia as party's candidates for Rajya Sabha polls