India, April 11 -- Hours after senior BJD leader Prafulla Mallik raised concerns over the growing influence of VK Pandian in party affairs, another veteran leader Nrusingha Sahu on Friday came up with strong and candid remarks, blaming VK Pandian's political entry for the party's electoral setbacks and internal discord.

Speaking to media, Sahu said, "The party has suffered ever since Pandian joined political activities. He was efficient as a bureaucrat, but once he stepped into the political arena, BJD started losing ground. The recent electoral loss is a direct result of the Pandian factor."

He further stated that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was perceived to be 'divided between two seats during the last election', a move that gave th...