New Delhi. Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Dr. Sasmit Patra has resigned from the post of parliamentary leader of the party in Rajya Sabha. Party supremo and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday accepted the resignation of Dr. Sasmit Patra from the post of BJD Parliamentary Party leader in Rajya Sabha. According to the official statement of the party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik has accepted the resignation of Dr. Sasmit Patra as the leader of BJD Parliamentary Party in Rajya Sabha.
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According to sources, some MPs of the party had recently written a letter to the BJD President demanding the removal of Dr. Sasmit Patra from his post. Reportedly due to the ongoing internal discord in the party, he had to step down from the post of BJD Rajya Sabha leader. Patra is completing his second term in the Rajya Sabha. He was serving as the parliamentary leader of BJD since 2022.
According to sources, it is believed that Naveen Patnaik’s secretary Satrat Mishra, who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha, may become the leader of the BJD parliamentary party in place of Dr. Sasmit Patra. Following a last-minute change in the party’s stand on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in April 2025, a section of the party had turned against Patra.
The party had earlier announced that it would oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Later voted in its favor. This spread resentment among a large section of the party and they launched a scathing attack on Patra. Due to this sudden change in attitude of Patra, strict action was also demanded against him, due to which he had to face pressure and embarrassment.
Patra came into politics from the education sector and has been a two-time Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha. He has made his mark in Parliament on national and regional matters. As the national spokesperson of BJD, he represented the party in New Delhi and has expressed his views in the Rajya Sabha on many important legislative matters.
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