Rift in Rayagada BJD unit comes to the fore

Rayagada: Hours after being elected unopposed as the vice-chairperson of the Rayagada Municipality, Ward 16 councillor Sramita Padhi was suspended from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The party also issued an immediate suspension to Rayagada Municipality Chairman P Mahesh Pattanaik. While the BJD cited alleged anti-party activities as the reason for both high-level disciplinary actions, the official order did not publicly specify the exact conduct leading to their removal.

The BJD’s Rayagada unit faced internal turmoil after a rare sequence of events where a party member was elected unopposed in the morning and disciplinary action taken later that same day. Following an official schedule, Rayagada Tahasildar Priyadarshini Swain declared Padhi elected unopposed as vice-chairperson as the sole nominee. However, this victory was immediately overshadowed when the BJD took swift disciplinary action against both Padhi and Pattanaik. The current episode follows a contentious battle over the municipal vice-chairperson’s post that began on September 12, 2025, when 19 councillors moved a no-confidence motion against the then vice-chairperson, Subhra Panda. Despite a BJD whip directing its 21 councillors to oppose the motion within the 24-member council, 19 members voted in favour of it. Subsequent legal proceedings delayed the election of a successor until Tuesday, when Padhi emerged as the sole candidate and was elected unopposed.

The episode revived discussion on former Rajya Sabha member N Bhaskar Rao’s political role. In September 2025, Rao and former minister Lal Bihari Himirika resigned from the BJD following internal friction and Jagannath Saraka’s appointment as district president. Rao subsequently formed the Biju Swabhiman Manch (BSM) to focus on Rayagada’s development.

The BSM and Rao’s networks remain central to Rayagada politics following recent municipal developments. However, political relevance does not equal organisational control. This recent episode alone does not prove that the BSM directed these municipal events.

For the BJD, the immediate challenge is disciplinary action against two elected representatives, which highlights broader questions about ongoing internal organisational rifts. This issue is particularly critical in Rayagada, a district already strained by public disputes among local BJD leaders and a severe electoral setback in the 2024 Assembly election, where the Congress won all three seats. While various political actors attribute these losses to leadership and organisational failures, these claims remain subjective political interpretations rather than independently verified facts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C B Singh

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