Bhubaneswar, Nov. 27 -- The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday faced yet another political devastation with the resignation of the sitting Chairperson of the Talcher Municipality, Pabitra Bhutia and 13 councillors, all from the same party.

The development has delivered a major blow to the main opposition party's organisational base in the industrial town, where the BJD has held municipal control for a decade. All 14 leaders are likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on November 28.

It is worth noting that Bhutia, who has served as municipality chairperson for 10 years, has been credited with strengthening the BJD's grassroots network in the region. The resigning councillors jointly alleged that Talcher was neglected by the gove...