Jolt to BJD: Senior Leader Amar Patnaik Joins BJP as Naveen Launches Nuapada Campaign

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) suffered a major setback on Monday when its senior leader and IT cell chief, Amar Patnaik, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, state BJP president Manmohan Samal, and the party’s Odisha in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar.

The defection came at a politically sensitive moment — just as BJD president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched his party’s campaign for the Nuapada Assembly bypoll at Komna block headquarters.

Calling his switch a “life-changing” decision, Amar Patnaik described it as a “watershed moment” in his political journey.

“I left my job eight years ago to serve the people of Odisha directly. I worked hard in the Rajya Sabha to raise their issues. Now, I believe it is time to contribute to nation-building,” he said.

Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership as his inspiration, Patnaik added, “Whenever I listened to Modi ji in Parliament, I was deeply moved by his vision for a new India by 2047. Under his leadership, the nation has earned global respect.”

Explaining his choice, he said, “No other party today plays a meaningful role in building the nation. I am honoured to join the BJP and pledge to support Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s vision for Odisha.”

Welcoming him, Chief Minister Majhi remarked that Patnaik had “freed himself from political suffocation” within the BJD.

“He felt constrained in the BJD. In the BJP, he will find ample scope to serve both Odisha and the nation. I look forward to working with him closely,” Majhi said.

Highlighting the BJP’s growing focus on Odisha, Majhi noted that Prime Minister Modi had visited the state seven times in the past 16 months — a reflection of “the Centre’s commitment to Odisha’s development.”

“With Amar Babu joining us, our mission gains strength. While Naveen Babu campaigns in Nuapada today, Amar Babu will campaign there for us tomorrow,” he quipped.

Patnaik’s induction marks another high-profile crossover from the BJD to the BJP in recent months, following a series of defections that have reshaped Odisha’s political landscape. His entry is seen as a significant intellectual and organisational boost for the BJP as it seeks to consolidate its base across western and southern Odisha.