A day after stepping down as a Rajya Sabha MP and quitting the Biju Janata Dal, Debashish Samantaray joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi on Tuesday (May 26, 2026). He was welcomed by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Mr. Samantaray, a three-time MLA, is expected to return to the Rajya Sabha, following a precedent set by current BJP MP Sujeet Kumar and former MP Mamata Mohanta, both of whom had resigned from the Upper House and were later re-elected with BJP support. With Mr. Samantaray’s exit, the Biju Janata Dal’s strength in the Rajya Sabha has come down to five.

‘BJD going down’

A vocal critic of V.K. Pandian, a close aide of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Mr. Samantaray alleged that he had been trying for over a year to meet the BJD supremo but was blocked by a vested interest group. “The BJD is going downhill, and those who harmed the party most are calling the shots now,” he said.

Though Mr. Samantaray’s connect with grassroots workers had waned in recent years, the presence of senior leaders including BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at the party’s New Delhi headquarters during his induction raised eyebrows.

Ahead of 2027 local polls

Within the BJP, some leaders see Mr. Samantaray’s induction as a strategic gain ahead of the 2027 rural and urban polls in the State. Others view it as a signal to the BJD that it could be steadily weakened by defections before the next elections, potentially limiting its ability to challenge the ruling BJP.

The BJP government in Odisha is set to complete two years in power next month. However, in recent months, the Mohan Majhi-led administration has struggled to project itself as a strong, delivery-oriented government aligned with the Centre’s expectations. Mr. Majhi, a choice of the BJP’s central leadership, is yet to consolidate a strong base within the party, and dissenting voices among senior leaders have further undermined his authority.

While the BJP has secured a by-election win and managed to send Dilip Ray to the Rajya Sabha despite lacking the requisite numbers in the Assembly, its grassroots presence still falls short of that of the BJD over the past decade. Even now, Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik appears to enjoy unmatched mass appeal and respect across the State.

The BJD had won over 50 Assembly seats in the 2024 election, positioning itself as a strong Opposition in the 147-member House. However, following a series of defections, its strength has now come down to 42.

In the March 2022 rural polls, the BJD had secured a sweeping mandate, winning 766 of the 852 Zilla Parishad seats, around 90% of the total, while the BJP and Congress managed 42 and 37 seats respectively. A month later, the Patnaik-led party replicated its dominance in urban local body elections, capturing 76 of the 108 civic bodies.

Major defections

Over the past two years, several BJD-controlled Zilla Parishads and civic bodies have witnessed large-scale defections, weakening the party’s institutional hold. Even so, the BJD continues to maintain a strong grip over rural and urban local governance structures in Odisha, making it difficult for the BJP to dislodge it at the grassroots level.

Unlike in several other States, the BJP’s government and organisational wing in Odisha are yet to demonstrate the cohesion required to effectively project and implement their programmes on the ground.

Since the elections, the BJD has not been entirely absent from the political landscape. It has consistently raised concerns over women’s safety, the law and order situation, and the pace of development projects. At the same time, BJD cadres have remained active on the ground, regularly taking to the streets to sustain their political outreach.