Bhubaneswar: Former Lok Sabha MP from Balasore, Rabindra Kumar Jena, has resigned from the primary membership of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

In his resignation letter to the party President Naveen Patnaik, Jena cited personal cause and circumstance as the reasons behind the decision.

Jena was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha from the Balasore constituency in 2014.

However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he was defeated by BJP candidate Pratap Sarangi.

His wife, Subasini Jena, is the BJD MLA from the Basta Assembly constituency in Balasore district. She was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly in the 2024 elections.