Overview
- Former Balasore MP Rabindra Kumar Jena formally joined the BJP on Wednesday at the party’s Odisha headquarters in Bhubaneswar alongside his supporters.
- Jena resigned from the BJD on Tuesday citing personal reasons in a letter to party chief Naveen Patnaik, requesting immediate relief from all party responsibilities.
- BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged Jena left due to fear of possible CBI action in a chit fund matter, as a CBI court hearing in a chargesheeted case is scheduled for March 12.
- His move gains significance ahead of the March 16 Rajya Sabha elections because his wife, Subasini Jena, a BJD MLA from Basta, has not publicly committed her vote.
- Jena won Balasore for the BJD in 2014, lost in 2019 to BJP’s Pratap Sarangi, and was denied a 2024 ticket, while several local leaders from Balasore and Basta also joined the BJP on Wednesday.