Senior leader and former Odisha Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai has been expelled from the ruling BJD by party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for anti-party activities.

Sources said that the party president took the drastic step in response to demand from the rank and file of the BJD from across the state.

The expulsion of Ghadai, who had been denied BJD ticket in the last elections, came in the wake of certain adverse remarks about Naveen attributed to him appeared in an Odia daily.