Naveen Patnaik expels Damodar Rout from BJD

Bhubaneswar:Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal President Naveen Patnaik today expelled party vice president and former minister Damodar Rout from the party.

“The Paradip MLA has been expelled from the party by the order of the party president Naveen Patnaik,” said BJD secretary Bijay Nayak in a release in the evening.

The move came a day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik received complaints against the senior BJD leader.

Resentment against Rout was surging after BJD leaders from Jagatsinghpur approached Naveen raising instances of ‘anti-party’ activities and petitioned against Rout seeking disciplinary action against the veteran leader.

It seemed imminent that the Odisha CM would take a call on Rout’s fate after returning from Delhi, where he is meeting investors for the upcoming Make in Odisha conclave.