Bhubaneswar: Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray today resigned from the primary membership of the party, alleging that he was “systematically belittled” within the organisation.

Samantaray sent his resignation letter to BJD president Naveen Patnaik, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve both the party and the people of Odisha. However, he said he felt ignored and undervalued in recent times.

“I have always dedicated myself to the interest of the party and have, over the years, worked for the party with utmost conviction and commitment. However, I feel that, of late, I have been systematically belittled in the party and that the party does not require my services,” Samantaray wrote in the letter.

He also thanked Patnaik for nominating him to the Rajya Sabha and giving him an opportunity to raise issues concerning Odisha at the national level.

Speaking to reporters after resigning, Samantaray targeted former IAS officer VK Pandian and said he quit the party because of him. He alleged that during the last one year, he was not allowed to meet Naveen Patnaik despite sharing a close relationship with the BJD president.

“He knew very well about my relationship with Naveen Babu, yet I was prevented from meeting him,” Samantaray said.

He further alleged that instead of strengthening the BJD organisation, efforts were being made to suspend more and more party leaders.

He also raised objections to Naveen Patnaik handing over a house built by former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik to Pandian in the name of a trust. Samantaray claimed Naveen had earlier clarified that Pandian was not his political successor, but later entrusted him with property associated with Biju Patnaik’s legacy.

Calling it a grave insult to Biju Patnaik’s legacy, Samantaray said he could not accept the property of Biju Babu being handed over to a Tamil person.

Targeting leaders within the BJD, Samantaray said he had given up all personal interests by resigning from his position and party membership. He also claimed that many leaders would follow his path in the coming days.

Later, he met Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and tendered resignation as Rajya Sabha member.

The resignation comes months after Samantaray stepped down from the post of vice-president of the BJD senior citizens’ cell in November 2025. At that time, he had voiced dissatisfaction with the party’s functioning.

In his earlier letter to Patnaik, Samantaray had alleged that the BJD had drifted away from the ideology and principles associated with former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik. Referring to the party’s defeat in the Odisha Assembly elections and subsequent setbacks, he had claimed that no serious introspection or corrective measures had been undertaken by the leadership.

A seasoned politician, Samantaray was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February 2024 as a BJD candidate. He had earlier won the Odisha Assembly elections twice, in 2009 and 2014, from the Barabati-Cuttack constituency as a nominee of the regional party.

His resignation is being seen as another setback for the BJD at a time when the party is facing internal discontent.

Speculations are rife that Samantaray may join the BJP today.