NEW DELHI: BJP’s Odisha vice president, Lekhasri Samantasinghar tendered her resignation to the saffron party and announced her decision to join BJD ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. Lekhasri becomes the second
BJP Odisha vice-president, following Bhrugu Baxipatra, to exit the party and join the BJD in the weeks preceding the polls.
In her resignation letter addressed to Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, Lekhasri cited her failure to garner the trust of the party’s leadership as the primary reason for her departure.
“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.
Addressing reporters at the BJD state headquarters, ‘Sankha Bhavan’, she conveyed her gratitude to the BJD for embracing her and emphasized her admiration for the developmental initiatives spearheaded by CM Naveen Patnaik.”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”, Lekhasri added.
BJD is yet to announce its candidate for the Balasore Lok Sabha seat, leading to speculations regarding Lekhasri’s potential candidacy. The BJD, known for its emphasis on women’s representation in politics, fielded seven female candidates out of 21 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party has nominated only six women candidates thus far for the upcoming polls.
(With agency inputs)