TNI Bureau: Hours after Union Minister Amit Shah praised Naveen Patnaik on disaster management, BJD’s ‘weakest link’ in Rajya Sabha, Mamata Mohanta quit the party and resigned from the Upper House, much before the expiry of her term in 2026. It’s very much obvious that BJP has started its game to weaken BJD further.
BJD drew blank in Lok Sabha for the first time since its inception. The party lost power in Odisha after 24 years and finished at 51. Now, its Rajya Sabha strength will be reduced to 8 from 9. Let’s not forget that BJD had already gifted a Rajya Sabha seat (Ashwini Vaishnaw) to BJP just before the elections.
Is it a BJP ploy to break BJD? Or, is it a mutual decision to strengthen BJP in the Parliament? It may sound weird, but nothing is impossible in politics. And, there won’t be any surprise if one or two BJD MPs follow suit.
Who will replace Mamata in Rajya Sabha? Manmohan Samal or Samir Mohanty or Dilip Ray or Damayanti Beshra or a surprising face? Let’s wait and watch!