Overview
- On January 15, Naveen Patnaik suspended MLAs Arvind Mohapatra and Sanatan Mahakud for alleged anti-party activities with immediate effect, reducing the BJD’s strength in the Odisha Assembly to 48.
- On January 16, formal orders removed Jajpur zilla parishad president Nalini Prabha Jena and vice president Ganeswar Baral from the party over similar charges, extending the crackdown beyond the legislature.
- Party figures said the steps followed credible intelligence, with spokesperson Lenin Mohanty asserting the MLAs breached guidelines and later alleging they were part of a plot to weaken the BJD.
- Both lawmakers rejected the accusations, with Mohapatra saying he learned of his suspension via social media and would seek reasons, while Mahakud had recently criticised the BJD’s record in Keonjhar and was said by party sources to be leaning toward the BJP.
- The actions have prompted insider talk of a pre-emptive warning ahead of the Rajya Sabha contests and revived speculation about realignment tied to veteran Bijoy Mohapatra, who called his son’s suspension a conspiracy.