A large section of party leaders have stepped up their campaign for replacement of Niranjan Patnaik as the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC).
The dissidents, who would reportedly leave for New Delhi shortly after February 15 to meet the party high command, are of the firm view that the Congress cannot face the upcoming polls to the urban and rural bodies and then the general elections in the State if Patnaik continues to be at the helm of the organisations.
They feel that the Congress is getting weaker at the grassroots level by the day in view of the strongly-ensconced ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and an emerging strong Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Notably, the anti-Niranjan Patnaik leaders had a
congregation in a hotel here recently to devise a strategy of their campaign for an early change of the OPCC leadership.
Former MLA Devendra Sharma telephoned AICC Odisha in-charge A Chella Kumar and appraised him about the meeting and urged him to ensure that a new State party chief is chosen at the earliest to save the organisation. Chella Kumar, according to the dissidents, assured that he would do whatever possible in the interest of the State party unit.
Pointing to the Congress’ miserable performances in the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the State, the rebel leaders allege that earlier when Niranjan Patnaik took over as the PCC president from Prasad Harichandan, he had promised to provide enough funds for the party candidates.
But he did not keep his word and, on the other hand, gave tickets to very weak candidates, who wanted to fight polls with their own money.
The dissidents are also of the view that the fact that Patnaik’s younger brother Soumya Ranjan Patnaik joined the BJD on the eve of the 2019 elections and became a BJD candidate has sent a wrong message to the Congress rank and file about his sincerity in leading the party.