BHUBANESWAR: Former president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sarat Patnaik is likely to be appointed as the next president of the party in Odisha. Though the name of former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das was also in contention for the post, sources said the party did not take the decision to shift him to Odisha now as he is now in-charge of Bihar and Odisha.
Sources, however, said that there may be last minute changes in the decision because of strong opposition to Patnaik’s appointment as the OPCC president. Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingha Mishra is reported to be strongly opposed to the appointment of Patnaik as the OPCC president though two other MLAs from western Odisha Santosh Singh Saluja from Kantabanji and Adhiraj Panigrahi from Khariar are in his favour.
Sources said that there will be working presidents from four regions of the State and four MLAs will be accommodated in these posts. Similarly, the post of leader of the Congress Legislature Party is likely to go either to Suresh Kumar Routray or Saluja.
Congress leaders from the State including the MLAs met former AICC president Rahul Gandhi at New Delhi on Monday during which he is reported to have expressed displeasure over indiscipline among the leaders. Gandhi warned the leaders that strong action will be taken against those giving statements on internal party affairs.