BHUBANESWAR: Arindam Sarkhel, also known as Bapi Sarkhel, resigned from Congress on Thursday. As Sarkhel is likely to join BJD soon, it has fuelled speculations over the party’s candidate from Paradip Assembly seat.
Sarkhel’s resignation came days after his wife, Monideepa joined the regional outfit here. In his resignation letter to president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sarat Pattanayak, Sarkhel said he would like to concentrate on the welfare and social upliftment of workers. “Ensuring better living conditions for workers has been a dream throughout my journey as a trade union leader,” he added.
Monideepa had joined BJD on March 17 along with her supporters including vice-chairperson of Paradip municipality Chhabilata Rout. Sarkhel’s resignation from Congress has sparked speculations over BJD’s candidate from the Paradip Assembly seat. The seat is represented by BJD’s Sambit Routray, son of veteran leader Damodar Rout who passed away recently. Sources said BJD may repeat Sambit from the seat owing to a sympathy wave in his favour.
But Sarkhel’s resignation from Congress and Monideepa joining BJD, have created other options for the regional outfit from the seat. Sources said a section of partymen in Paradip are against Sambit. Sarkhel had contested from Paradip Assembly seat as a Congress candidate and lost to BJD’s veteran Damodar Rout in 2014 and his son Sambit in 2019.
But he had been staying away from Congress after floating his non-political organisation ‘Ama Paradip, Ama Pragati’, whose members contested both panchayat and urban elections as Independents.
