BJD MPs Manas Mangaraj and Sulata Deo joined the Opposition march against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, following Naveen Patnaik’s directive.
The party cited alleged irregularities in Odisha’s SIR, including Form 7 applications filed using Dhamnagar BLO credentials without their knowledge.
BJD said its participation does not mean joining the INDIA bloc, maintaining its stated position of equidistance from both the NDA and Opposition grouping.
Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday joined the Opposition's protest march against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, marking a departure from the party's earlier working relationship with the BJP-led NDA.
BJD MPs Manas Mangaraj and Sulata Deo, along with former MP Muzibulla Khan, participated in the march from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi. The decision was taken at the direction of party president Naveen Patnaik, who has also demanded Kumar's resignation over the SIR exercise.
The BJD, however, maintained that joining Tuesday's protest did not mean it had joined the INDIA bloc. Sulata Deo reiterated that the party continues to maintain an equal distance from both the INDIA bloc and the NDA.
BJD Raises Odisha Voter Deletion Concerns
BJD media coordinator Lenin Mohanty said the party had joined the protest over alleged voter deletions in Odisha, particularly in Dhamnagar, where the party has alleged that names of members of a minority community were targeted without the knowledge of the concerned booth-level officers (BLOs).
"The BJD participated in the protest march because of the deliberate deletion of voters belonging to a minority community in Dhamnagar, Odisha, without the knowledge of the concerned BLOs, which raises serious questions about the SIR exercise," Mohanty said.
The allegations follow reports of hundreds of Form 7 applications being filed using the credentials of BLOs in Dhamnagar without their knowledge. The Indian Express reported that one BLO said 130 Form 7 applications had been filed in his name, while another said 190 applications were filed using her credentials. An inquiry has been ordered into the matter.
The BJD has separately alleged that around 27.5 lakh voters were deleted from Odisha's electoral rolls during the SIR. The party has also cited the Dhamnagar case while demanding greater scrutiny of the deletions.
TMC Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien thanked Patnaik for deputing Mangaraj, Deo and Khan to the Opposition protest.
Supreme Court's Form 6 Remarks Add To BJD's Concerns
The BJD's decision to participate in the protest also came after the Supreme Court clarified that it had not directed the Election Commission to modify Form 6 during the SIR exercise.
The party has accused the poll panel of earlier suggesting that changes to the form had the court's approval. BJD leaders have cited the Supreme Court's clarification while renewing their demand for Kumar's resignation.
Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh described the BJD's participation as significant, while acknowledging that there was no assurance the party would join Opposition protests in the future.
The BJD has stressed that its participation should not be interpreted as an alliance with the INDIA bloc. The party has maintained its stated policy of keeping an equal distance from both the BJP-led NDA and the Opposition grouping.
The development comes after the BJP defeated the BJD in the 2024 Odisha Assembly election, ending Patnaik's 24-year tenure as chief minister. The BJD has since remained the principal Opposition party in the state.
Tuesday's protest was part of a broader Opposition campaign demanding Kumar's resignation and raising concerns over the SIR and electoral-roll revisions. Police stopped the march near Parliament Street and detained several Opposition leaders before later releasing them.
