BhubaneswarDecember 7, 2025 07:25 PM IST
First published on: Dec 7, 2025 at 07:25 PM IST
More than a year after it lost power in Odisha, the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) continues to lose leaders, with its grassroots cadre shifting to the BJP. This has led it to allege that “Operation Lotus” is being implemented in the state.
Since losing power, the BJD has seen a steady stream of exits, with scores of its elected panchayat and urban local body leaders joining the BJP. Recently, compounding the BJD’s troubles, the party lost four block-level leaders — from Bonth, Bhadrak, Bhandaripokhari and Basudevpur — to the BJP in its stronghold of Bhadrak district, the home turf of state BJP president Manmohan Samal.
“Since the BJP has no presence in 90% of the panchayats, panchayat samitis (block) and zilla parishads, they intentionally stop funds. They are executing Operation Lotus while pressurising and threatening elected members of other parties to join its fold,” said Gautam Buddha Das, the BJD MLA from Bhograi.
“Operation Lotus” is used by political rivals to target the BJP over “engineering defections”.
The Bhadrak defections come close on the heels of elected representatives, including the chairperson, of the Talcher municipality switching to the BJP. Talcher is the hometown of senior BJP leader and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
However, the BJP has dismissed claims that “Operation Lotus” is in force. Arguing that the BJD will collapse on its own and that there is no need to engineer defections, Parjanga BJP MLA Bibhuti Pradhan said, “The BJD is facing a serious crisis after the 2024 loss. It will struggle for survival after the panchayat polls, scheduled for early 2027.”
The exit of grassroots leaders from the BJD has become more frequent after the party’s humiliating loss in the recent Naupada Assembly bypoll, where it finished third behind the BJP and the Congress, and saw its vote share fall to 18.07%, down from the 33% it secured to win the seat in last year’s elections.
With the defeat, the BJD’s strength in the 147-member Assembly has fallen to 50, while the BJP has increased its tally to 79. The House also has 14 Congress MLAs, three Independents and one from the CPI(M).
“The party must introspect. As seen in the Naupada bypoll, Naveen Babu’s (Patnaik) popularity alone cannot help the BJD be relevant. We finished third despite him hitting the campaign trail twice despite his advanced age and ailing health due to a recent surgery,” a senior BJD leader said on condition of anonymity.
The exodus has prompted a section of BJD leaders to call for “urgent corrective measures” to put the house in order, warning of further setbacks if the party does not course-correct. Admitting that the party currently faces a leadership vacuum, a senior BJD leader said, “There is no doubt that Naveen Babu is the most popular leader in the state and continues to enjoy the love of people. The BJD also has a strong base on the ground but since we are in the Opposition, it needs to be activated and engaged throughout the year,” the leader added.
Insiders, however, insist that the party must articulate a clear political strategy and resolve its leadership questions to become a formidable Opposition. “Naveen Babu has never been involved in grassroots politics and has depended on someone — initially Pyarimohan Mohapatra and later V K Pandian — to manage day-to-day affairs of the government and the party. At age 79, it would not be possible for him to give full-time attention to the party and interact with leaders directly,” said a BJD veteran.
Unlike other regional stalwarts, Patnaik has not groomed any leader as his second-in-command and has maintained that the people of Odisha will choose his successor. Sources said Patnaik’s principles would not have caused an issue had the BJD remained in power. “Since the party is in the Opposition now, it needs a leader to manage the day-to-day affairs and engage directly with the cadre,” said the veteran leader.