Bhubaneswar, June 27: After polls debacle in the assembly and Lok Sabha election, demand for the resignation of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee(OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak is growing louder.
Senior Congress leader Panchanan Kanungo today called for the resignation of OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak, citing the party’s poor show in the recent elections. He has written a letter to the OPCC chief in this connection wherein he urged him to hold a meeting to analyze where things went wrong.
Kanungo expressed his discontent as the party's poor play and Pattanayak himself also lost the election. Thus he opined that resignation of the PCC chief would be appropriate.
Similarly former OPCC president Jayadev Jena indirectly criticized the current OPCC chief, emphasizing his own moral responsibility. Jena recalled that when he failed to perform well in the assembly polls and secure government formation in Odisha, he promptly announced his resignation before the media.
In contrast, Sarat Pattanayak remains steadfast. He contends that the Congress performed better in the 2024 polls as compared to its 2019 results. While the party won only nine out of 147 assembly seats in 2019, the 2024 elections saw a significant improvement. With the support of their alliance, they secured 15 seats this time.
He has already discussed these matters with the party high command and urged fellow leaders and workers not to raise silly issues that could harm and tarnish the party's image and interest. Instead, he suggested the co-workers to emphasize preparing for the 2029 elections.
It’s evident that the demand for Pattanayak’s resignation is a contentious issue within the OPCC, and the party’s future direction remains a topic of debate.
