In a jolt to the Opposition BJP, the party's Odisha unit vice-president Lekhasri Samantasinghar on Sunday resigned from the saffron party and joined the Biju Janata Dal ahead of the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections.

Lekhasri is the second BJP Odisha vice-president after Bhrugu Baxipatra to resign from the BJP weeks before the polls and join the BJD. In her resignation letter to Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, Lekhasri said that she decided to quit the saffron party having "failed" to earn the trust of the leadership.

"I have given my sweat and blood to the Bharatiya Janata Party for the last ten years. However, despite all the sincerity and hard work, I could not earn the trust of the leadership. Hence, I feel there is nothing left for me to do here and my desire to serve the people of Odisha is being hampered," Lekhasri said in the letter.

Lekhasri on Sunday joined the BJD in presence of party MPs Manas Mangaraj and Sasmit Patra.

"It is difficult to change after sweating for a party that did not recognise my hard work. I thank BJD for accepting me. I am inspired by the developmental activities of chief minister Naveen Patnaik. I will do my best for the BJD," she told reporters after joining the regional party at 'Sankha Bhavan', the BJD state headquarters.

Since BJD has yet to announce the name of its candidate from the Balasore Lok Sabha seat, she may try for a ticket to the Balasore Lok Sabha seat.

The BJD in 2019 had fielded seven women candidates for the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state. However, this time, the party has nominated only six women candidates so far.

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