The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), on Friday, suspended senior leader and Odisha’s former minister Prafulla Kumar Mallik, citing his involvement in “anti-party activities”.
The regional party’s stern action followed a day after Mallik, who is considered a close associate of BJD president Naveen Patnaik, publicly expressed his discontent about being sidelined from the party matter and threatened that he might quit if the party didn’t undertake internal reforms.
BJD vice-president (headquarters) Pratap Jena, in an order issued dated September 11, said, “Sri Prafulla Kumar Mallik, Ex-MLA Kamakhyanagar, District- Dhenkanal, is hereby suspended from Biju Janata Dal for his anti-party activities with immediate effect.”
Prafulla Mallik, a four-time former MLA from Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district, had held significant ministerial portfolios like Steel & Mines and Works in the Naveen Patnaik government.
ଦଳ ବିରୋଧୀ କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ ପାଇଁ ଢେଙ୍କାନାଳ ଜିଲ୍ଲା କାମାକ୍ଷାନଗରର ପୂର୍ବତନ ବିଧାୟକ ଶ୍ରୀ ପ୍ରଫୁଲ୍ଲ କୁମାର ମଲ୍ଲିକଙ୍କୁ ସଭାପତି ଶ୍ରୀ ନବୀନ ପଟ୍ଟନାୟକଙ୍କ ନିର୍ଦ୍ଦେଶକ୍ରମେ ଦଳରୁ ନିଲମ୍ବନ କରାଯାଇଛି।#BJDWithOdisha#BJD4Odisha pic.twitter.com/rWJw7GKsaW
— Biju Janata Dal (@bjd_odisha) September 12, 2025
On Friday, he expressed his frustration at being marginalized and threatened to resign unless corrective actions were taken.
The BJD’s decision to suspend Mallik comes amidst a series of high-profile resignations that have shaken the party’s leadership.
Earlier this week, senior party members N. Bhaskar Rao and Lalbihari Himirika, both influential figures in south Odisha, resigned from the party, protesting the appointment of Jagannath Saraka as Rayagada district president.
Rao, a former Rajya Sabha MP, and Himirika, a former minister, accused the BJD of neglecting grassroots leaders. They announced the creation of a new social platform, the Biju Swabhiman Mancha, aimed at upholding the legacy of Biju Patnaik.
With Mallik’s suspension following these exits, the BJD is under increasing pressure to address internal dissent and organizational instability as it works to recover from recent electoral losses.
