Bhubaneswar, Feb. 28 -- Senior leader and former MLA Pravat Biswal was expelled from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) following high drama at Naveen Niwas on Saturday. The dramatic turn of events reportedly unfolded soon after the party announced the candidature of Santrupt Misra as a Rajya Sabha candidate, triggering sharp opposition from Biswal.

Biswal openly questioned the basis on which Misra was selected as a candidate. He is said to have raised concerns before party supremo Naveen Patnaik, asking why leaders who had worked tirelessly and fought for the party over the years were overlooked in favour of others.

The situation reportedly escalated into a heated verbal exchange between Biswal and Patnaik in the presence of other senior party ...