TNI Bureau: While there was hardly any excitement in the political circle during Mamata Mahanta’s entry into BJP, Sujeet Kumar’s decision to join BJP, has triggered a big political buzz. Sujeet’s departure is seen as a big setback to Naveen Patnaik and VK Pandian, as he acted as a very close aide of the duo.
Sujeet was upset with some particular BJD leaders for long. He felt snubbed and humiliated on many occasions. Hailing from a family with RSS background, he was hardly a perfect fit in BJD which he joined as a professional before entering politics.
Sujeet was contemplating this move for a long time. He was probably feeling suffocated within the party over the last two years or so. Recently, he was targeted for praising Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after some railway projects from Kalahandi got approval. He had to issue a clarification through a video message after the outrage within the party.
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After Sujeet resigned from Rajya Sabha this morning, BJD was quick to expel him before he could send a formal resignation letter. Sujeet thanked Naveen in his letter, but Naveen’s official X handle posted the expulsion letter and called it a betrayal and big let down. Later, Sujeet joined BJP in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahatab and Senior BJP leaders Arun Singh and Vijaypal Singh Tomar in New Delhi. With this, BJD’s Rajya Sabha MP count went down from 8 to 7. BJP can now make it 3 from Odisha.
After joining BJP, Sujeet spoke about his strained relations with some leaders at the top, harassment by them and rampant corruption in Kalahandi in various government schemes. He has also vowed to expose many scams in the near future. “I suffered in the new era BJD, as I refused to be a sycophant”, he added.
Sujeet’s vast knowledge and experience in public policy, developmental work and social sector, may come in handy for the BJP if it utilises his skills effectively. In all probability, Sujeet Kumar will be allowed to continue as a Rajya Sabha MP on BJP ticket till April 2026. He may get some key responsibilities too.
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