When departing from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's BJD a few weeks back, Bhartruhari Mahtab accused the party of veering away from its anti-corruption stance and welfare initiatives.
In a recent development in New Delhi, Bhartruhari Mahtab, the six-term
MP from Cuttack, has joined the BJP shortly after leaving the ruling Biju
Janata Dal (BJD). The 67-year-old leader made his switch official in the
presence of prominent state BJP leaders, signaling his potential candidacy for
the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, according to insider reports.
During the 2019 general election, Mr. Mahtab secured victory in the
Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency, defeating his closest competitor, Prakash
Mishra of the BJP, by a significant margin.
Mr. Mahtab's political journey began in 1998 when he first won the Lok
Sabha seat from Cuttack. Subsequently, he was re-elected in 1999, 2004, 2009,
and 2014. He retained his seat under the BJD banner in 2019. Notably, he
received the "Sansad Ratna" award for four consecutive years from
2017 to 2020, recognizing his exceptional contributions to parliamentary
debates.
In recent months, several leaders from the BJD have crossed over to the
BJP. Notable among them is a close relative of BJD organizing secretary PP Das
and renowned Odia actor Arindam Roy.
Balabhadra Majhi, a senior tribal leader and former minister, who joined
the Congress, claimed negligence and marginalization over the past five years.
Odisha comprises 21 parliamentary constituencies. In the 2019 Lok Sabha
elections, the BJD secured the highest number of seats, followed closely by the
BJP and the Congress. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP secured 8, and the Congress
managed only one.
In the previous assembly elections held concurrently with the general
elections in 2019, the BJD emerged victorious with 113 out of 147 seats. The
BJP trailed behind with 23 seats, while the Congress secured 9. Additionally,
the CPM won one seat, and an Independent candidate secured another.
This year, discussions between the BJP and BJD for a possible alliance,
initiated after more than a decade, collapsed due to disagreements over seat
distribution.