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Bijoy Mahapatra suspended from BJD

Biju Janata Dal president, Navin Patnaik, today suspended his arch rival and senior leader Bijoy Mahapatra from the primary membership of the party. He also withdrew the party ticket given to Mahapatra to contest the forthcoming assembly election.

However, just hours after Patnaik announced his decision, it became clear that he had underestimated Mahapatra's popularity in the party. Several top leaders, some of them close associates of Patnaik, have come out in the support of the sacked leader, even as truck-loads of his supporters have started arriving in the state capital.

Police have thrown a protective cordon around Patnaik's house, where Mahapatra's supporters have begun gathering.

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