Less than a week after senior MP Sasmit Patra resigned from the post of Biju Janata Dal parliamentary leader in the Rajya Sabha, party president Naveen Patnaik on Monday appointed Manas Mangaraj as the new leader in the Upper House.
Patnaik also appointed Sulata Deo as deputy leader and president of the BJD parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha.
Mangaraj, 55, a former journalist and media advisor to the Odisha government, joined the BJP in 2018 and began his tenure in the Rajya Sabha in July 2022. Considered close to former bureaucrat VK Pandian, his elevation is seen by party leaders as an attempt to stabilize the party’s performance in Parliament at a time of internal tension.
Sasmit Patra resigned last week after four Rajya Sabha MPs wrote to Patnaik demanding his removal as parliamentary party president. It is not clear what reasons the representatives gave for requesting his removal.
The leadership changes come at a politically sensitive time for the BJP, which faces organizational challenges after its loss of power in Odisha and signs of rebellion within its legislative ranks. In last month’s Rajya Sabha elections, six BJD MLAs voted for BJP-backed candidate Dilip Rai.
During the March 16 elections to four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha, the BJD entered into an informal understanding with the Congress in a bid to win two seats despite its strength being reduced by around 50 MLAs, including suspended members. While BJP’s first candidate, Santhropet Mishra, won the election comfortably, cross-voting by BJP legislators and Congress members enabled hotelier Dilip Rai, a BJP-backed independent candidate, to secure the fourth seat against BJP’s Dr Dhatsewar Hota.
The cross-voting incident led to disciplinary action within the party and led to the suspension of several MLAs suspected of opposing the party’s candidate.
