Bhubaneswar, Jun 9 (PTI) BJD leader and former MP Achyuta Samanta, Sunday announced his exit from active politics in the wake of the regional party's defeat in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Samanta, who was defeated from the Kandhamal Lok sabha seat, made the announcement a day after he met BJD president Naveen Patnaik.

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The founder of educational institutions, like KIIT and KISS, also thanked Patnaik for giving him opportunities both in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

The former MP said he would continue social services which he has been delivering for the last 32 years.

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Samanta thanked members of BJD and the people of the Kandhamal parliamentary constituency for their love and support.

BJP candidate Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi defeated Samanta by a margin of 21,371 votes in Kandhamal in the recently held elections.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)