Bhubaneswar, Jul 11: The entry of former IAS officer senior  into the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has triggered visible fissures within the party, with pro- and anti-Sujata camps now engaged in parallel exercises to manage dissent and consolidate support.

At Shankha Bhavan, Sujata, wife of once powerful BJD leader and Naveen Patnaik’s close aide V. K. Pandian, has opened her durbar, meeting senior leaders one-on-one to build bridges. Yet, the challenge lies in pacifying disgruntled voices. The responsibility of managing dissent has largely fallen on the shoulders of senior leaders like Debi Prasad Mishra and his associates.

In Cuttack–Choudwar, Mishra, accompanied by senior leader Pratap Jena, MLA Prashant Behera, and district president Prafulla Singh, met councillors and the Municipal Chairperson to ease tensions following mass resignations of youth and student leaders aligned with former MLA Prabhat Biswal. The suspension of Biswal and his son, MLA Soubhik Biswal, has already unsettled the local unit, and Sujata’s induction has further complicated matters.

Meanwhile, in Keonjhar, BJD vice-president Sanjay Das Burma held discussions with senior leader Badri Narayan Patra, who had publicly opposed Sujata’s entry. Though Badri refrained from commenting to the media, insiders suggest political negotiations were underway during the party’s district tour.

The anti-Sujata camp, led by senior leaders such as MLAs Prasanna Acharya, Badri Patra, Sunil Mohanty, and former MP Bhupinder Singh, remains vocal, while the pro-Sujata group--Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, Pratap Jena and Debi Mishra--has intensified outreach efforts.
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Party insiders acknowledge that Sujata’s induction has added fuel to existing discontent, but leaders insist the situation is under control. “There is no unrest in the party,” BJD MLA Sarada Prasanna Jena told reporters, dismissing speculation of a widening rift.

As Sujata continues her one-on-one meetings with senior leaders, her core group is working to reconcile differences before the dissent spills onto the ground. The coming weeks will test the party’s ability to balance ambition with unity.