Former BJD Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray joins BJP

A long-time associate of BJD supremo and former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Samantaray resigned from both the party and Rajya Sabha on Monday

PTI

New Delhi, Updated At : 02:29 PM May 26, 2026 IST

Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray during his joining of the BJP at the party headquarters, a day after resigning from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), in New Delhi, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan

Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray joined the BJP on Tuesday in the presence of senior party leaders here.

A long-time associate of BJD supremo and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Samantaray resigned from both the party and the Rajya Sabha on Monday, alleging that he was being “systematically belittled” in the organisation.

His exit comes months after two other BJD Rajya Sabha MPs -- Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mahanta -- quit the party. Both were later elected to the Rajya Sabha on BJP tickets.

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#BJDJoiningBJP #BJDResignation #DebashishSamantaray #IndianPolitics #OdishaPolitics #PoliticalSwitch BJD BJPLeader NaveenPatnaik RajyaSabhaMP

Former BJD Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray joins BJP

A long-time associate of BJD supremo and former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Samantaray resigned from both the party and Rajya Sabha on Monday

PTI

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