Bhubaneswar: Within 24 hours of receiving the resignation of Simulia MLA Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, the BJD has managed to persuade the legislator not to desert the ruling party in Odisha.

BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today appointed Panigrahi as the president of the Balasore district unit of the ruling party with immediate effect.

Panigrahi had resigned from the primary membership of the BJD by sending a letter in this regard to the party president yesterday.

Panigrahi was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Simulia constituency on a BJD ticket in 2014 and 2019.

He had also served as the Tourism minister of the state from 2019 to 2022.

However, the BJD denied ticket to Panigrahi and nominated Subasini Sahu for Simulia Assembly seat in Balasore district in the 2024 polls in Odisha.

In a related development, the BJD has appointed Jaleswar MLA Aswini Kumar Patra as the senior general secretary of the party.