Bhubaneswar, Oct 21: Hectic lobbying has started for Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president post after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) assigned Dr Charan Das Mahant to oversee the party’s organization in the state.
Dr Mahant, who currently serves as the Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly, has been deputed to assess the leadership dynamics and overall organisational affairs of Odisha Congress. He has also been instructed to coordinate with Meenakshi Natarajan and other Congress leaders.
He will submit a detailed report before the AICC after assessing leadership and organisational affairs of the party's Odisha unit.
"Dr Mahant and Meenakshi Natarajan will arrive in Bhubaneswar on October 25 night and hold confidential meeting with party’s state leaders for two days – on October 26 and 26 regarding the new OPCC president. We hope Odisha Congress will get its new head on the occasion of Diwali," said a senior leader.
According to party sources in New Delhi, the AICC is mulling either a dalit/minor community or an OBC leader to head Odisha Congress for revival of organisation from the grassroots level. Several names including former union ministers Srikant Jena and Bhakta Charan Das, Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka, former OPCC president Prasad Harichandan and former MLA Mohammed Moquim are doing the rounds.
Insiders close to AICC said Srikant, Bhakta and Moquim have emerged as frontrunners for the post as they have never been OPCC chiefs.
Notably, the Congress dissolved the party's Odisha unit and dismissed all state office-bearers including the state president Sarat Pattanayak in July this year following its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state.
