BHUBANESWAR: The state unit of Congress is unable to get past factionalism despite repeated efforts of successive presidents of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC).
The incumbent president of OPCC Sarat Pattanayak started in an optimistic mode after taking over as the state chief for the second time. The Dhamnagar bypoll is an acid test for him as good performance by the party is going to endear him further to the party's high command.
However, he does not seem to have achieved much in quelling infighting so far. Such an incident has come to the fore during the filing of the nomination papers by party candidates in the bypoll. Some of the senior leaders skipped the event despite efforts by Pattanayak.
Now the question in Congress circles is whether the dissidence will again raise its head as the 90-day period of cushion for Pattanayak is already over.