Leadership change chorus growing in Odisha Congress after poll debacles

The leadership has surrendered without giving a fight in Pipili bypoll, say cadre

In the recently held Pipili bypoll, Congress candidate Bishwokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra could get 4,261 (2.36%) votes of the 1,80,930 votes polled. For the second time in a row, the party had lost deposit in an Assembly seat.

Before the counting was over on Sunday, disgruntled party workers had started staging a demonstration in front of the party office here. They were demanding the resignation of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik and A. Chella Kumar, Odisha in-charge. They said “the leadership has surrendered without giving a fight”.

As the two crucial panchayat and civic body elections are likely to be held early next year, workers are worried saying the Congress may find it difficult to stay in the memory of the Odisha voters if the party affairs are allowed to run this way.