BJP leader Jiban Pradip Dash has stepped down from his position in the party.

Bhubaneswar/Balasore: On Friday, senior BJP leader and former Balasore MLA Jiban Pradip Dash made a big decision and resigned from the primary membership of the party. In a press conference held in Balasore, Dash expressed his disappointment with the state leadership and announced his resignation. His main concern was the recent induction of Rabindra Kumar Jena, a former BJD MP who has been accused in a chit fund scam, into the BJP.

Dash, who has served as an MLA for three terms, could not overlook the decline in the party's moral values since coming into power in the 2024 Odisha election. He strongly criticized the party for accepting a person who is facing a CBI case and is currently out on bail. This move goes against the party's principles and ethical politics, according to Dash.

His resignation has dealt a major blow to the BJP's state leadership. In addition, Dash also targeted the state leadership for their decision to field an independent candidate without enough support to win the elections. He accused them of encouraging horse-trading and losing all morality in the process.

Dash, a former Indian Air Force serviceman, first joined the Assembly in 2000 as a BJP candidate. He later switched to the BJD and won elections in 2009 and 2014 from Balasore Sadar Assembly constituency. However, he was suspended from the BJD in 2020 for engaging in anti-party activities and rejoined the BJP in 2021.

Dash has not yet made a decision about his future plans. It has been reported that Balasore MP and former Union Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi has held discussions with him. Sarangi, who was not consulted before Jena's induction into the party, expressed his doubts about the decision.

He stated that even though Jena had contacted him before and after joining the BJP, he had been unable to meet him due to his busy schedule in Delhi. Jena joined the BJP on Wednesday along with his supporters from Balasore, Bhadrak, and Mayurbhanj districts. He was welcomed by BJP state president Manmohan Samal and other senior leaders.

However, Sarangi's reservations about the decision may have caused some concerns within the party. He believes that the party may not benefit from Jena's inclusion and has not shown full support for the move. The Parliament session and his busy schedule in Delhi were the reasons he could not meet Jena before his induction into the party.

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