Expelled BJD legislator Prashant Jagdev: irascible, mercurial Chilika strongman

Police registered an FIR against Jagdev under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 333 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty).

Following his discharge from a Bhubaneswar hospital, Jagdev was arrested on March 22. He has been in judicial custody since. On March 23, he moved a bail application in a local court, which was rejected.

MLA Prashant Jagdev’s car was vandalised by an irate mob after he rammed the vehicle into a crowd outside a block development office in Odisha’s Khurda district (Express file photo)

But for the two-time MLA expelled by his party BJD, this was not his first brush with law. Known for being “short-tempered” and “volatile”, Jagdev, who is said to be “popular in his constituency”, has had 10 criminal cases registered against him until 2019, as per his affidavit filed with the Election Commission while contesting the 2019 Assembly poll, which declares that he had not been convicted in any of the cases. His affidavit states that his name was also dropped from all the chargesheets in these cases. He was first booked in 1992 under the charge of voluntarily causing hurt. Of the remaining 9 criminal cases, one was filed in 1992, 2014, 2017 and 2019 each, 4 were filed in 2016, and 2 in 2018. Over the last three years, he has been booked for two more cases.

Jagdev, who has declared “social service” as his occupation, has been active in politics since his college days. Starting as a member of the Student Federation of India (SFI), the CPI(M)’s students wing, he was briefly associated with the Janata Dal before dissociating himself from active politics, only to return to join the BJD ahead of the 2014 state Assembly elections, when he was elected from Begunia constituency.

During his first term as an MLA, Jagdev hit the headlines after a video of him along with his supporters thrashing a group of BJP activists for showing black flags to a BJD leader in Boudh, went viral. In November 2016, a lady tehsildar accused him of allegedly throwing a kerosene lantern at her amid commotion when she was trying to clear a government land from encroachment. In January 2019, a former Begunia sarpanch filed an FIR against him for alleged criminal intimidation. In August 2020, a junior engineer lodged a complaint with the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) against him for allegedly misbehaving with him over a guest house booking.

In September 2021, Jagdev allegedly assaulted a local BJP leader, a video of which went viral prompting the BJD to suspend him from the party with immediate effect.

Amid strong condemnation of Jagdev’s alleged criminal behaviour from various quarters including the Opposition parties, the BJD has now distanced itself from its errant MLA. Condemning his alleged assault on the BJP leader, the party also called for law to take its course.

“BJD president Naveen Patnaik (Odisha Chief Minister) suspended the said MLA (Jagdev) six months ago after he was found to have been engaged in a physical fight with someone. As per the party rules, if your suspension is not revoked within three months, you are considered to be expelled from the party. He is not a member of the party anymore by that rule,” BJD MP Pinaki Mishra said.

BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty echoed Mishra’s statement, making it clear that Jagdev now stands expelled from the party.

It is another matter that Jagdev has been an electorally-influential leader for the BJD. After winning Begunia with a margin of 43,424 votes in the 2014 polls, he was fielded from Chilika in 2019, which was won by the BJP in 2014. He clinched the seat with a margin of 10,856 votes. BJD leaders believe that “despite his unruly conduct, Jagdev’s popularity among his constituency’s masses kept him going within the party until recent rows”.

His “popularity” stems from the point that he makes “effective use” of the state funds for his constituency’s development and welfare of its people, locals say.

A former Begunia sarpanch said,”He works for the constituency and that is undeniable. I have known him since his college days, he was a senior. Even then he had managed to get a road to the college repaired. In the next student body election, he won with huge margin. Even today he manages to get basic facilities in his constituency. His problem is that he is short-tempered and reacts quickly.”

Senior BJD leaders however say the party’s crackdown on the MLA was needed. “In a few cases he retaliated to provocation from members of the Opposition party. In some other cases there was no evidence against him and the police did not even frame charges. But what changed in the recent past is that there was clear video evidence of him resorting to violence and behaving in an extremely unruly behaviour in public view. The party was never going to take this lightly. BJD has always maintained its no-nonsense stance and will continue to do so. The recent incident is completely condemnable and the party would never support such a behaviour which is why he was suspended and his membership revoked,” a former BJD leader said.