Dikhyaa Mohanty 
On Tuesday, Bijay Kumar Naik and Surendra Sethi, two former BJD MLAs, withdrew from the party’s primary membership. The two former lawmakers quit the BJD, citing incompetence in the party’s ticket distribution process. Separately, they sent letters of resignation to BJD chief Naveen Patnaik. Former Surendra Sethi reportedly hoped to run for office from the Kakatpur Assembly seat on a party ticket.
He was given a ticket by BJD for the 2019 election, however it was subsequently withdrawn. Tusharkanti Behera has taken his place inside the party. The party has put Tusharkanti on the ballot this time around. In a same vein, Bijay Kumar Naik, the former MLA of Karanjia in the Mayurbhanj district, resigned from the BJD today. On the BJD ticket, he was twice elected to the State Assembly, in 2009 and 2014. This time, he was removed from the running list of candidates. It is anticipated that he would run as an independent.
