Odisha: BJD suspends ex-minister Prafulla Mallik for 'anti-party activities'

BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday suspended senior leader and former minister Prafulla Mallik, citing “anti-party activities” a day after he publicly voiced dissatisfaction over his exclusion from party affairs and threatened to resign unless internal reforms were undertaken. Mallik, a four-time former MLA from Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district, had served in key ministerial roles under the Naveen Patnaik government, including Steel & Mines and Works. On Friday, he expressed dismay over being sidelined and warned that he would quit the party if corrective measures were not taken. The move comes amid a wave of resignations that has rattled the BJD’s leadership. Earlier this week, senior party members N Bhaskar Rao and Lalbihari Himirika—both prominent figures in south Odisha—resigned from the party in protest against the appointment of Jagannath Saraka as Rayagada district president. Rao, a former Rajya Sabha MP, and Himirika, a former minister, accused the party of ignoring grassroots leaders and announced the formation of a new social platform, the Biju Swabhiman Mancha, to uphold the legacy of Biju Patnaik. With Mallik’s suspension following closely on the heels of these high-profile exits, the BJD faces mounting pressure to address internal dissent and organizational drift as it seeks to regroup after its electoral setbacks.