A week after joining the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), senior leader of Baleswar district, Arun Dey on Tuesday announced severing all relations with the ruling party and predicting doom for the party in the coming elections in the district.
He is likely to file nominations as an Independent candidate for the Baleswar Sadar Assembly constituency on Wednesday, sources said.
Dey, who was strongly tipped to be the BJD candidate for the Baleswar lok Sabha seat to take on Congress leader and Union Minister Srikant Jena, was denied a ticket by BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, who preferred industrialist Rabindra Jena as his party’s nominee for that constituency.
Making his announcement at Baleswar, Dey said he would definitely contest the elections. He, however, did not make it clear whether he would contest Parliamentary or Assembly elections or even whether he would fight on a ticket from some other party or as an Independent.
Dey, a five-time MlA from Baleswar Sadar, said the BJD candidates chosen for the Baleswar lok Sabha constituency and various Assembly segments under it have little chances of winning and would spell disaster for the party.
Dey, it may be noted, had unsuccessfully contested the 2009 elections from the Baleswar lS seat as an NCP candidate under a seat-sharing arrangement with the BJD.