Congress leader Sura Routray resigns from all party positions after son Manmath joins BJD

Bhubaneswar: Manmath Routray, younger son of Veteran Congress leader and six-time MLA Suresh Routray, joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday. Manmath formally inducted into the party fold in presence of Rajya Sabha members Manas Mangaraj and Sasmit Patra.

Following this, his father has resigned from all positions in the Odisha Congress, But he’ll remain in Congress.

Ahead of his joining, the former pilot said both his father Suresh Routray and CM Naveen Patnaik share the same ideology of serving the people of Odisha. “My father has allowed me to join BJD with a heavy heart, but we have to accept change,” he said.

Yet, uncertainty persists regarding whether the BJD will nominate him for the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency or the Jatni Assembly seat, a position his father has held since 1977. Bibhuti Bhusan Balabantaray, a former MLA and the president of BJD’s Khurda district, also seeks a ticket for the Jatni seat. He previously contested in 2019 but lost to Suresh Routary by a margin of 7,500 votes, having previously secured victory in 2009.