Achyuta Samanta Retires from Politics After Lok Sabha Defeat

Bhubaneswar: BJD leader and former Kandhamal MP Achyuta Samanta has announced his retirement from active politics following his loss in the Odisha Lok Sabha elections. Samanta met with BJD chief Naveen Patnaik at his residence on Saturday to express his intention to step down from political activities.Samanta extended his gratitude to Patnaik for the opportunities he received to contest in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha elections as a BJD candidate. In a press conference, Samanta expressed his heartfelt thanks for the support and love from the people of Kandhamal and reaffirmed his commitment to continue his social work, which has been his focus for the past 32 years. He emphasized his ongoing dedication to serving the Adivasi community on a larger scale.In the recent elections, Samanta was defeated by BJP’s Sukanta Panigrahi by a margin of 21,371 votes. Panigrahi secured 4,16,415 votes in the 2024 Odisha Lok Sabha polls.