Odisha Congress chief begins as OPCC remains headless

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Odisha Congress remains without a president for the last one week after all the state office-bearers were removed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), hectic lobbying has started for the top party post with most of the senior leaders camping at New Delhi.

Sources in the party said either a dalit or a leader belonging to the other backward classes (OBCs) will be given charge of the state organisation to revive it from the grassroots level. Several names including former union ministers Srikant Jena and Bhakta Charan Das, Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka, former presidents of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Jaydev Jena and Prasad Harichandan besides senior leader Anant Prasad Sethi are doing the rounds.

Sources said Srikant and Bhakta have emerged as frontrunners for the post though a decision is yet to be taken in this regard. Those who were past presidents of the OPCC would not be considered for the post this time. As Srikant and Bhakta have never been OPCC chiefs, one of them is likely to be entrusted with the responsibility. The name of Sethi has also cropped up if this criteria will be taken into account.

However, all the three leaders who are in contention had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. While Srikant and Anant had contested from Balasore and Bhadrak LS seats, Bhakta fought the polls from Narla Assembly seat in Kalahandi district.

Sources said though Koraput MP Ulaka’s name had cropped up for the post, his chances have dimmed after Pottangi MLA Rama Chandra Kadam was appointed as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). Leaders from the same region and ST community cannot be appointed to two posts in the party.