BHUBANESWAR: With the Congress candidate Biswokeshan Harichandan losing deposit in the Pipili bypoll to become the fourth party nominee to suffer the fate in the by-elections since 2019 Assembly elections, the demand for a change in the State leadership has resurfaced again. As the result was declared, the dismal performance of the party fuelled anger among workers who staged demonstration at the Congress Bhavan here demanding a complete organisational change in the State. Sources said a group of Congress leaders and workers are planning to leave for New Delhi again and stage demonstration in front of the AICC headquarters demanding ouster of president of OPCC Niranjan Patnaik from the post.
Some party workers thronged Congress Bhavan when the counting was midway and started shouting slogans against Patnaik demanding his resignation on moral ground. They criticised the leadership for entrusting responsibility of the bypoll to inexperienced persons by ignoring senior leaders. They alleged that this is for the fourth time in a row that the Congress has performed poorly in the by-elections. Before Pipili, the party had performed miserably in Balasore and Tirtol bypolls held in November 2020 and Bijepur in 2019. Patnaik is reported to have written to AICC president Sonia Gandhi again requesting her to relieve him from his responsibilities.