In what could be seen as another setback for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which faced a shocking defeat last year in the Assembly elections, former Rajya Sabha member Amar Patnaik — a prominent face of the regional party — joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (November 3, 2025).
Mr. Patnaik, who had taken voluntary retirement from the post of Accountant General of Odisha before entering politics in 2018, served as a BJD Rajya Sabha MP from 2019 to 2024. He is the third Rajya Sabha member from the regional party, after Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar, to switch to the BJP since last year.
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“I am inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dedication to nation-building. After retiring from government service, the regional party had given me an opportunity to serve the State. But now I wish to devote myself to nation-building, which is why I have joined a national party like the BJP,” said Mr. Patnaik, explaining his decision to join the saffron party.
“There are two national parties — the BJP and the Congress. I did not take a minute to decide which one to join. The BJP is the world’s largest political party, thriving on its ideology, vision for development, and leadership,” he added, describing the move as a turning point in his political career.
