In a significant organisational overhaul aimed at energising its base among Scheduled Caste communities and the working class, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has completely reconstituted its SC Cell and the Biju Shramik Samukhya, the party’s labour wing. Both decisions were approved by party president Naveen Patnaik and announced on Sunday.
Senior General Secretary Mahesh Sahu has been appointed as the new President of the BJD SC Cell. Four experienced leaders — Pramila Mallick, Padmanabha Behera, Ganeshwar Behera and Snehangini Chhuria — have been named Advisors to guide the cell’s activities.
The working president posts have gone to Chandra Sarathi Behera, Rajendra Kumar Das, and Tusharkanti Behera. Five leaders — Dr. Rajashree Mallick, Ramesh Chandra Behera, Dr. Pramod Kumar Mallick, Sharmistha Sethi and Raghuram Padal — will serve as Vice-Presidents. The team of General Secretaries includes Abhimanyu Sethi, Madhab Dhada, Sudarshan Haripal, Nihar Ranjan Behera, Dr. Sanjay Das, Anusuya Patra, and Lalita Nayak.
In a parallel move, the Biju Shramik Samukhya has also been restructured. Former minister Prafulla Samal has been appointed Advisor, while Subash Chandra Singh takes over as President. Naba Kishore Mohanty has been named Working President at the headquarters.
Seven leaders have been inducted as Vice-Presidents: Preetiranjan Ghadai, Braja Kishore Pradhan, Yogesh Singh, Ananta Narayan Jena, Swarup Das, Ranjita Sahu and Jogendra Swain. Arindam Sarkhel will serve as General Secretary.
Party sources said the dual restructuring is part of a broader effort to make the organisation more active and responsive at the grassroots level, particularly among SC communities and industrial workers across Odisha. The appointments are expected to inject fresh energy into BJD’s outreach programmes in the coming months.
