The three-member team of All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers, which is here to assess the state of affairs of the State Congress, in the first phase, met the party’s district presidents on Saturday.
The team comprising MPs Gaurav Gogoi and Tamrdhwaj Sahu and former Union Minister Jitendra Singh, in the presence of AICC general secretary and Odisha in-charge BK Hariprasad, held discussions with 29 district presidents out of 33 organisational districts. They would hold talks with the other four, who are district presidents as well as MlAs.
They held one-to-one discussions with the district presidents on different matters relating to the party like its status at the district and State levels and sought their suggestions to revamp the party organisation at the grassroots level.
Sources said that on the question of change of PCC leadership, the AICC team received mixed responses from the DCC presidents.
In the second phase, the observers met the office-bearers of various party wings and leaders of the OPCC. While Students’ Congress president Itish Pradhan reportedly spoke in favour of Niranjan Patnaik as PCC president replacing incumbent chief Prasad Harichndan, Youth Congress president loknath Maharathy said whoever is made the party chief they are ready to work with him.
later, former MP and party Adivasi Morcha president Pradeep Majhi said the party needs an able leader to strengthen the organisation. The present leadership has failed to take everybody along with him. There is a need for a change, he said.
On Sunday, the observers would meet party MlAs, former MPs and MlAs and other senior leaders to know their views.