Athamallik MLA Ramesh Chandra Sai Quits BJD Over Ticket Denial

Bhubaneswar: Athamallik MLA Ramesh Chandra Sai on Thursday tendered his resignation from the primary membership of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after being denied a ticket. The decision was communicated directly to the party chief, Naveen Patnaik, in a formal letter of resignation.

Notably, the party has opted to field Nalini Kanta Pradhan as its candidate for the Athamallik constituency this time, effectively replacing Sai on the ticket.

Sai, who won his seat in 2019 under the BJD banner with a remarkable victory margin of over forty-seven thousand votes, has been an integral part of the party for the past five years. Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to work with BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, Sai cited “personal reasons” for his departure from the party.