BHUBANESWAR: The Congress high command has summoned senior leaders of the party including nine party MLAs to New Delhi on May 5 to discuss and pick a name for the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC).
The issue of a change of guard in the Odisha Congress was unsuccessfully discussed during the three-day visit of state in-charge A Chellakumar here last month. Sources said that as names of former OPCC president Sarat Patnaik, Barabati-Cuttack MLA Mohammed Moquim and secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Bhakta Charan Das came up during discussions with various party leaders for OPCC president post, he could not decide on the issue.
Besides, the decision on the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) and party whip in the Assembly will also have to be taken. CLP leader Narasingha Mishra and whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati had tendered their resignation from their posts during the visit of Chellakumar.
The demand for a change in the State leadership of the Congress has gained momentum after a string of poor shows by the party in polls after the 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.