Who is Manas Ranjan Mangaraj, BJD’s new leader in the Rajya Sabha

Patra, who had been heading the party in the Upper House since the beginning of his second term in 2022, stepped down last week, fuelling speculation. BJD president Naveen Patnaik accepted his resignation on April 9.

While sources said “dissatisfaction” among a section of BJD MPs over Patra’s leadership led to his decision, there was also speculation that he may have vacated the position for Santrupt Misra, Patnaik’s political secretary and a former corporate leader who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha. The BJD currently has six members in the Upper House.

Although the party did not officially cite any reason for Patra’s unexpected move, sources indicated that he had been asked to step down.

Patra, who holds an MBA and a PhD in Business Management and previously served as a dean and professor at Xavier Institute of Management (XIM) University, Bhubaneswar, is known for his oratory skills and for articulating the party’s stand on various national and global issues. He was also nominated to the panel of vice-chairpersons of the Upper House.

Mangaraj’s elevation has surprised many within the BJD, with some describing it as the “empowerment” of leaders from an “influential group” within the party.

“Patra’s performance in the Rajya Sabha was good. Even if the party wanted to replace him, there were better choices. A leader in the Rajya Sabha needs to be outspoken. When leaders with dismal track records are promoted merely due to their proximity to powerful camps, it discourages others,” said a BJD leader on condition of anonymity.

Who is Mangaraj?

Mangaraj, 55, began his Rajya Sabha tenure in July 2022. A journalist-turned-politician, he joined the BJD in April 2018 after struggling to establish his political career in the Congress, just a year before the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Within a few years of joining the BJD, Mangaraj’s meteoric rise in the regional party raised eyebrows and surprised even senior leaders. He developed a reputation for being close to Patnaik’s trusted bureaucrat V K Pandian and a group of officials who were seen as influential in key decision-making during the BJD regime.

Months after the BJD secured a fifth consecutive term in Odisha in 2019, Mangaraj was appointed as the government’s advisor (media and public relations), with key responsibilities for overseeing publicity. He was also tasked with managing the party’s media wing. Mangaraj was considered a key member of the group that handled the BJD’s 2024 election campaign, in which the party lost power after 24 years.

Despite lacking prior experience in organisational management, Mangaraj was appointed as the party’s observer for the crucial Berhampur parliamentary constituency, where the party lost in the 2024 polls. The BJD also lost six of the seven Assembly segments under the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat.

Following the party’s defeat in the 2024 simultaneous elections, Mangaraj came under scrutiny and lost his media-handling role to former minister Pratap Jena. His subsequent disappearance from party affairs after the defeat was also notable.

Before joining the BJD, Mangaraj had contested the 2009 Assembly election from the Chilika seat as a Congress candidate, securing only 11,204 votes (8.93%).