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 (BJD) ahead of the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections.
Ms. Samantasinghar 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, Ms. Samantasinghar 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," Ms. Samantasinghar said in the letter.
