Bhubaneswar, December 6: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) experienced a significant setback in Bhadrak District as Prafull Samal, the BJD's Bhadrak District President, witnessed the defection of his two sons, his sister, and several local leaders to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday.

Prafull Samal's sons, Prayasakanti Samal and Pranitakanti Samal, along with his sister Urmila Nayak, joined the ruling BJP in a formal ceremony held in Bhubaneswar. The event took place at the party's headquarters in the presence of BJP President Manamohan Samal. Alongside the Samal family, several prominent BJD leaders, including four BJD Block Chairpersons and numerous Sarpanchas and Samiti Sabhyas, also switched allegiance to the BJP.

The defections come after a turbulent week in Bhadrak, where three block chairpersons resigned from their positions and left the BJD. The leaders who stepped down included Urmila Nayak, Chairperson of Bhadrak Block, Sumati Sethi, Chairperson of Bhandari Pokhari Block, and Manoranjan Ghadai, Chairman of Bonth Block.

This sudden shift has raised alarms within the BJD, prompting party president Naveen Patnaik to appoint Prafull Samal as the District President to address the growing crisis. However, despite these efforts, the departure of Samal's family and several key BJD figures to the BJP has dealt a significant blow to the party's hold in the region.