BHUBANESWAR: As Congress received a major setback after the resignation of 50 party leaders of Ganjam district including former Union minister Chandrasekhar Sahu protesting casual approach of high command towards organisational matters in Odisha, party president Rahul Gandhi on Friday appointed Jitendra Singh as the state in-charge replacing BK Hariprasad. A release issued by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) said Congress president Rahul Gandhi has appointed former Union minister Jitendra Singh as the in-charge of Odisha in place of Hariprasad who will be stepping down from his responsibility.
Removal of of Hariprasad as the Odisha in-charge was one of the demands of the pro-changers who want president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan to be replaced following the party’s humiliating defeat in 2017 panchayat polls and by-poll to Bijepur Assembly constituency in which the party candidate lost his deposit. Though appointment of Singh as the Odisha in-charge has been welcomed by senior party leaders, uncertainty prevails over the fate of Congress in the State as the leadership issue is yet to be settled.
A large section of the party leaders had expected that the high command would act on the issue after the three-day AICC session at New Delhi from March 16. As there was no action on the issue, mass exodus of Congress leaders has started. Resignation of 50 leaders from the party in Ganjam is only the beginning.
More leaders will leave the Congress, if the leadership issue is not settled in the coming days.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Narasingh Mishra, senior leader Niranjan Patnaik and former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das have welcomed the appointment of Singh as the Odisha in-charge.
“Welcom the appointment of Singh as our State in charge. We expect Congress in Odisha to emerge stronger in the days to come,” Mishra said in tweet. Patnaik said with Singh’s experience and guidance, the party will achieve greater heights.