Santrupt Misra appointed as Political Secretary to BJD President Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 10 (ANI): Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday appointed state-level and national-level spokespersons. 14 leaders including Prasanna Acharya, Pramila Mallick and Debi Mishra were appointed as state-level spokespersons; Santrupt Misra and Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo have been appointed as national spokespersons. Santrupt Misra has also been appointed as political secretary to Naveen Patnaik. The party also dissolved its state-level office bearers.

Speaking to ANI, Santrupt Misra clarified on intentions behind the above-mentioned move by the BJD party and said, “This is not unusual. Every organisation goes through a renewal from time to time. In the past as well, BJD post-elections has tried to recast its organisation and structure. Post-2024 elections, similar efforts have been made to make sure that the newly formed structure takes the party forward and prepares the party to play the role of effective opposition and reflect the aspirations of the Odia people.”

He further thanked Naveen Patnaik and expressed, “I thank Naveen Patnaik. This role assigned to me according to my understanding has been created for the first time. Like every role, this will also evolve.”

Earlier on Sunday, following the defeat in the recently held Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state, BJD President Naveen Patnaik issued orders for restructuring the BJD.

Notably, in the 18th Lok Sabha elections, the BJD faced a significant setback, failing to secure any of the 21 seats, while the BJP won 20 seats and Congress managed to win one seat. In the state assembly elections, the BJD won 51 out of 147 seats, while the BJP secured a majority by winning 78 seats.

The Biju Janata Dala, which has ruled Odisha since 1997, lost to the BJP, breaking the 24-year-old reign of Naveen Patnaik as the Chief Minister.

VK Pandian, a former bureaucrat and close aide to the ex-chief minister, has stepped back from active politics after the party’s electoral loss.