Rift in Odisha Congress Deepens as Calls for OPCC Chief’s Resignation Intensify
The internal discord within the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has escalated, with growing calls for the resignation of its president, Sarat Pattanayak, following the party’s recent electoral defeat.
Senior Congress leader Panchanan Kanungo voiced his opinion that the OPCC chief should step down due to the party’s poor performance in the general elections. “I don’t know whether the OPCC chief has resigned or not. In my opinion, since the party suffered a poll debacle and he himself lost the election, he should resign. I had written a letter to him asking him to hold a meeting to find out where we went wrong,” said Kanungo.
Adding to the chorus, former OPCC president Jayadev Jena took an indirect jab at Pattanayak. “In 2014, the party had given me the responsibility to form the government. When I failed, on moral grounds, on that very evening I announced my resignation before the media. That was my own conscience. I can’t give comments on something else,” remarked Jena.
In response to the growing demands for his resignation, Sarat Pattanayak defended his tenure, highlighting the party’s improved performance compared to previous elections. “Compared to the last election’s performance, the Congress has performed better this time. Before the election, we had six MLAs. But in 2024, with our alliance, we managed to win 15 Assembly seats. In the last 25 years, we have never won so many seats. I have already discussed whatever I had with the party high command. Those who are raising the present issue should understand the progress Congress has witnessed in the last 25 years. My appeal to all is that when the party is growing, they shouldn’t cause harm to it. Rather we should prepare how to fight the 2029 elections unitedly,” Pattanayak stated.
Despite Pattanayak’s reassurances, the Congress Bhawan has remained closed for the past five days, symbolizing the deepening rift within the state unit. This closure only underscores the significant internal challenges faced by the party as it seeks to regroup and strategize for future electoral battles.
