OPCC chief seeks list of aspirants
BHUBANESWAR: With elections a few months away, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has started the exercise for the selection of candidates for all the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly seats of the state.
OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak has asked the presidents of District Congress Committees (DCCs) to send the names of suitable candidates who are connected with the grassroots within the first week of November. The DCC presidents will have to shortlist three to five names before sending them to the OPCC president. They have been directed to keep the names of the shortlisted candidates confidential.
Pattanayak said that the focus is on selecting candidates with high potential to emerge victorious. Efforts are on to ensure early candidate selection to avoid conflicts at the time of distribution of tickets, he added.
The OPCC chief said leaders working at the grassroots and with winning prospects will be given priority. The OPCC will send the shortlisted names to AICC for final approval. The district presidents have been directed to discuss with the party functionaries to shortlist the names of aspirants, he said.