BHUBANESWAR: A change in Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) leadership seems imminent now with State party in-charge A Chellakumar on Tuesday saying the name of the new president will be announced soon after discussion with the high command.
Chellakumar, who is on a two day visit to the State, held one-to-one meeting with all the nine party MLAs and several senior leaders. Dissension within the State party ranks have intensified after back to back poll debacles with a majority demanding immediate change of OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik and leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingha Mishra.
Chellakumar told mediapersons that the process has started for the selection of a new OPCC president and all senior leaders have suggested names. “Very soon, the new OPCC chief will be announced following discussions with the high command,” he stated.
Regarding the demand by some Congress leaders that the next OPCC president should be appointed from among the party MLAs, Chellakumar said, “I do not think there is any such thing in the Congress constitution.”
The Congress in-charge said that since OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik has submitted his resignation he will hear the opinion of all MLAs, MP, senior leaders and office-bearers. Welcoming the move, Patnaik said he had resigned soon after the 2019 elections. It will be better if the party gives charge to someone who can lead from the front, he said.
Meanwhile, speculation is rife that the CLP leader has also resigned from the post after some MLAs voiced the demand publicly. Mishra, however, did not confirm his resignation.The CLP leader, who had a 30-minute meeting with Chellakumar, said that many important issues were discussed. Sources said, Mishra has support of two MLAs while his detractor Santosh Singh Saluja has the backing of four MLAs for the post of CLP leader.