Renowned Odia film star and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP from Kendrapara, Anubhav Mohanty, has recently switched to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha Polls 2024. He is the latest among all the popular Odia film stars who have joined the BJP after quitting the BJD.
Having entered the political arena as the youngest Rajya Sabha member in 2014, Mohanty further solidified his political career by winning the Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat in 2019.
His formal induction into the BJP took place in New Delhi, witnessed by the party's national general secretary Vinod Tawde. Mohanty cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership as a key motivator for his decision to join the BJP.
In a remarkable turn of events during the 2019 elections, Mohanty emerged victorious by defeating Baijayant (Jay) Panda, the national vice-president of BJP, with a substantial margin exceeding 1.53 lakh votes. While Panda has been fielded again by the BJP for the same seat, Mohanty is expected to contest his inaugural Assembly election.
Meanwhile, the BJD has nominated former MLA Anshuman Mohanty, a recent defector from the Congress, as its candidate from Kendrapara.
Mohanty had been deliberately excluded from all political activities for the previous four years by the BJD due to his long-standing marital discord with his actress wife Varsha Priyadarshini. After a protracted and acrimonious legal battle, the Orissa High Court granted him a divorce in December of last year.
Other Popular Actor-Turned-Politicians Joined BJP
Another Odia famous actor-turned-politician Siddhant Mohaptra, a two-time MP from Berhampur, joined the BJP last week, while former Korei MLA Akash Das Nayak, a popular actor joined on Sunday. Both Siddhant and Akash alleged that “neglect” in the BJD had led them to join the BJP.
This wave of exits from the BJD commenced with the departure of popular actor Arindam Roy, who is believed to have left due to concerns over ticket allocation. Another notable figure, veteran actor Prashanta Nanda, has also exhibited limited involvement in BJD affairs, while his son Rishabh, who joined the BJP ahead of the 2019 polls, has become less active in politics.
No other actor has ever won Odisha Assembly or Lok Sabha polls from a party other than the BJD, except Nanda, who won two Assembly elections from Begunia on BJP tickets in 2000 and as an NCP nominee in 2009, both times with the BJD in alliance. On BJD tickets, Siddhant, Anubhav, and Akash each won their respective polls.
Despite fielding well-known actors Bijaya Mohanty and Aparajita Mohanty for the Lok Sabha seats in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, respectively, in 2014, both candidates lost by sizable margins. Aparajita joined the BJP in 2019 and ran from Bhubaneswar-North, but she lost once more.
