The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has smelt a conspiracy behind the sudden resignation of Mamata Mohanta, its Rajya Sabha member from the Upper House and the party.

She joined the BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi within 24 hours of submitting her resignation

The party was caught off guard by the development. The BJD feels it’s part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP to send someone to the Rajya Sabha.

Senior BJD MLA and party’s chief whip in Odisha Assembly, Pramilla Mallick, said: “Our apprehension has come true with her joining the BJP. The BJP has hatched a conspiracy for its vested interests. Mamata was sent to the Upper House to be the voice of the oppressed people of her community and her area. She has betrayed the Mohanta community and the people of Mayurbhanj. She has been lured by the national party to resign.”

Mallick said: “She resigned only to help the cause of the national party BJP. You would soon see someone from the national party will go to the Upper House from the vacated seat.”

Mallick said her quitting the party’s won’t affect the BJD. “The national party is trying to destabilise the BJD. But under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik, the party is growing stronger day by day. No one can erase Naveen’s image from the hearts and minds of the people of Odisha,” said Mallick.

BJP MLA Saroj Padhi said: “The BJD is going to be directionless. Leaders will quit the BJD one by one and they are going to join the BJP as it has given a ray of hope to the people. The leaders find the BJP more comfortable. As the BJD ship is sinking, the people will certainly try to jump from it to save their lives.”

Mamata, who hails from Mayurbhanj, surprised everyone when she stepped down from the Upper House and the party. The party leaders came to know about it only after vice-president and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar spilled the beans about her resignation on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha.

She was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2020 but she resigned 18 months ahead of the completion of her six-year tenure.

Sources said the BJP plans to send one of its leaders, either its president Manmohan Samal who lost the Assembly election or former Union minister Bisweshwar Tudu, who was not given the ticket.

Tudu who hails from Mayurbhanj said, “It’s the party which will take a call on the issue.”