BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Monday suspended former Bhadrak MP Manjulata Mandal and her husband, former Dhamnagar MLA Muktikanta Mandal for anti-party activities.
Sources in the BJD said both the leaders were hobnobbing with the BJP which went against the interest of the party in Bhadrak district. Both the leaders are likely to join the BJP soon.
Manjulata was elected from the Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat in 2019 parliamentary election on a BJD ticket by defeating Avimanyu Sethi of the BJP. However, she was unsuccessful in the 2024 election and lost to Sethi of the BJP.
Muktikanta was elected from the Dhamnagar Assembly constituency in 2014 election. He had defeated Bishnu Charan Sethi of the BJP. But the BJD had not nominated him to contest subsequent elections.
Asked, Muktikanta, however, said he does not know the reasons behind the suspension as he never indulged in any anti-party activities. Stating that his political journey began at the grassroots level as a sarpanch, he said some persons might have submitted misleading reports against him, leading to such action.