Bhubaneswar, Feb 9: In a major jolt to the ruling BJD, Telkoi MLA Premananda Nayak reportedly resigned from the prime membership of the party citing sheer negligence as the reason. 

According to the information, Nayak has sent his resignation to the BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. 

Nayak represented Keonjhar district's Telkoi Assembly constituency to the Odisha Legislative Assembly twice after 2009 and 2019 lections.    

"I am resigning from primary membership of Biju Janata Dal. A valuable time, that spend with you will inspire me to serve better for my constituency further," read the resignation letter of MLA Nayak. 

Nayak was sworn in as a Minister in 2019 in Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's current fifth-term government. However, he along with some other Ministers was ousted from the Ministry in the last reshuffle.

The resignation of MLA Nayak has been seen as a major setback for the BJD as general elections are ahead.