Bhubaneswar: Around a year ago, there was enthusiasm among the Congress rank and file in Odisha when AICC changed the State Unit President Niranjan Patnaik and installed Sarat Pattnayak as the new OPCC Chief.
The Congress people who thought that Niranjan has slowed down due to age factor and Sarat can properly revive the party in the state, now see no difference. The Congress as a party now stands where it has been one year ago.
The party during this 11 month period has miserably lost three by-elections in Brajrajnagar, Dhamnagar and Padampur assembly segments. These three places were once considered as the fort of Congress. Though the party could save its face at Brajrajnagar by retaining security deposit, its candidate ensured a miserable defeat both in Dhamnagar and also in Padampur. The Congress had fielded an old time leader Satyabhusan Sahu in Padampur and interestingly, he could not retain the votes which had been secured in 2019 elections.
Fortunately, the party has for the first time fielded a youth Tarun Pandey as its candidate in Jharsuguda by-poll. Earlier, all its candidates were old and rejected by the people.
The three by-polls indicate that there is no scope for the Congress in the state unless the organization is properly built beginning from the grass root level. It may be Sarat Pattnayak or even Rahul Gandhi himself, none can help the party unless it is strengthened from the village level.
When Sarat Pattanayak took charge of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), there was lot of hopes about his performance and future of Congress Party in Odisha. After nearly one year high hopes have been dashed and now there are whispers about his ouster as OPCC Chief.
On 29 May 2022, Shri Pattnayak took charge of OPCC and till date he has not been able to reconstitute the new OPCC Team, forget about scaling up activities of Odisha Congress. There is a big question as to why Shri Patnaik is not able to present a fresh team of State Congress for saving the party from disintegration and curb internal dissension.
After Jaipur Session of AICC on 13-15 May, Shri Pattnayak took charge of OPCC with much fanfare. He was given warm welcome and lot of praise was showered on him as he will recharge State Congress, which is slowly and steadily losing grounds. Vote share of Congress is going down and down and youth are losing hope on Congress.
In order to save the situation, AICC decided to infuse fresh blood in OPCC Teams across the Country. Accordingly all PCC Chiefs were asked to present fresh teams with more women and youth in the proposed new OPCC. Shri Pattnayak presented the proposal twice to the AICC Bosses. However it was not accepted, it seems they are not serious about Odisha.
If the party seriously concentrates on Odisha, its stake can also increase in the national politics. Both Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have understood the potential of Odisha and therefore, both the parties are at loggerhead before the general elections. While BJD now targets to capture all the 21 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP wants to double its seat share to 16 in 2024 elections. But, unfortunately, the Congress has no such plan and it is also not clear whether the party can retain its lone Lok Sabha seat in Koraput.
AICC decided in Jaipur Conclave that not a single District President will remain In Charge of the District after five years. In Odisha there are at least nearly a dozen District Presidents retaining their position for more than five years. OPCC President is not in a mood to change them in an election Year. He opts to give theses District Chiefs another year, so that there will be no disturbance in this crucial period.
AUCC is not convinced about such a situation, where District Chiefs are not showing any interest in organizing activities and strengthening the party organization. However sources close to OPCC Chief point out that if these top leaders were taken out of District Chief posts, they may opt for BJD or BJP. And this worries Shri Patnaik more, which AICC Bosses do not agree. This is because Shri Patnaik has the ground touch and has tried hard to convince AICC.
Secondly AICC has made it clear that 50 Percent of the new Team Members will be Women, so also Youth. This move was to make Women Leadership in Congress more vibrant. However Regional Political Outfit Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has been highly successful in luring women folk to its fold by successfully engaging them in Women Self Help Groups (WSHG), Co-operatives and Three Tier Panchayati Raj System. So Congress is not able to attract women to its fold, admit senior Congress leaders.
While AICC Bosses have reportedly advised PCC Chiefs to organize District Level activities to attract youth and women to the fold of Congress, however there was hardly any activities organized at district level, thanks to lack of interest and resources, admit insiders. This has harmed Odisha Congress and questioned the ability of Congress Chief in the State to organize the party in a more active mode.
While Shri Pattnayak has not been able to take veteran and senior leaders to his side, his inability to attract youth and women to Congress fold has harmed his reputation as able organizer. In the meantime emergence of former Chief Secretary Bijaya Kumar Patnaik as a more accepted leader has posed an adverse situation for OPCC Chief.
It seems former Mandarin has been able to present him as a rising star in OPCC. He is meeting Congress Veterans like Niranjan Patnaik, Srikant Jena, Jayadev Jena, Chiranjib Biswal, who were distancing them from Congress for quite some time.
Former Mandarin is presenting him in a much better and convincing way in Media and raising issues, which are hot topics. Issues of Odia Youth leaving the state for jobs, Odias are neglected in the State have caught the imagination of the people.
And now Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) is also raising the issue of Odia Identity at stake. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is now raising the issue of “Odia Asmita” and trying to hit the Regional Political Party led Government.
Under this backdrop, performance of OPCC Chief is being questioned and there is murmur in the Congress Circle about his ouster, admit insiders.
In the meantime AICC In charge of Odisha Congress A Chella Kumar seems taking more interest in his Home State Tamil Nadu as he is tipped as TNCC Chief. Shri Kumar was somehow trying hard to raise the Congress fold in the State in a big way. However with his renewed interest for his Home State in the election year, insiders feel losing an energetic organizer.
Anway, the election is just one year away and the BJD and BJP are fully prepared for the big fight while Congress is yet to set up a team. Unless Sarat Pattnayak gets a team, how can he move and execute a party plan in the grass root level. This is high time that the Congress central leadership should think of the party in Odisha.
With uncertainty looms large over formation of new Team, Congress organization in the State is bound to suffer more and slide down in a faster mode as the State leadership has failed to mark any impact on AICC, which seems ignoring the leader, who was picked up by Rahul Gandhi with lot of hopes. Obviously Odisha Congress dips further and in coming days its vote percentage may slide to 5 Percent, while both BJD and BJP are gaining grounds.
