A day after former Kendrapada MP Baijayant Panda met lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in New Delhi requesting her to accept his resignation, the latter on Thursday informed that Panda’s resignation from the lower House was accepted on Wednesday.
Mahajan formally informed this to lok Sabha members on the second day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
“Panda, who represented the Kendrapada constituency in Odisha, has given his resignation from lok Sabha. I accepted his resignation with effect from July 18,” she said.
With this, the number of the BJD members in the lok Sabha has been reduced to 19 from 20.
On Wednesday, Panda had met Mahajan at her residence and requested her to accept his resignation.
After the meeting, Panda Tweeted. “As Parliament’s monsoon session begins, i say adieu, after 18 yrs, 3 months, 2 wks and 1 day.
Met Hon’ Speaker yesterday & said I cannot represent my former party anymore, it has strayed too far from its original principles & so, requested her to accept my resignation from lok Sabha,”
Earlier on June 10, BJD Parliamentary Party leader Bhartruhari Mahtab had written a letter to Mahajan urging her to accept Panda’s resignation. Panda, who had been suspended from the BJD on January 24 for his alleged anti-party activities, tendered his resignation from the lok Sabha on June 12 after quitting the BJD.