Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sujeet Kumar resigned from the Rajya Sabha and the party on Friday, becoming the second MP after Mamata Mohanta to leave the party and join the BJP.

Soon after resigning, Sujeet Kumar joined the BJP at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi. The move has significantly reduced the BJD’s representation in the Rajya Sabha, with the BJP successfully poaching two MPs within one month.

Many insiders in the BJD said it was expected that Sujeet would leave the party as he had raised questions about the functioning of the party following its debacle in the recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections held in Odisha.

The BJP first poached the BJD’s Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Mahanta in July. The Mayurbhanj MP resigned from the BJD, joined the BJP and then was again elected to the Rajya Sabha on the BJP ticket.

With Sujeet Kumar jumping the fence, the BJD is now left with 7 Rajya Sabha members. The total representation in the Rajya Sabha from Odisha is 10. Now the regional party is repenting having backed railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s candidature for the Rajya Sabha the second time in a row.

The BJD feels it’s part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP to increase its tally in Rajya Sabha.

What is more interesting is that Sujeet’s resignation came a day after the BJD decided to oppose the Wakf Bill in Rajya Sabha.

In an official communique, the BJD said: “Sujeet Kumar, MP, Rajya Sabha representing BJD is expelled from the party with immediate effect for anti-party activities. He has let down the party which sent him to the Rajya Sabha.”