Bhubaneswar: Retired IAS Officer turned politician Bijay Kumar Patnaik today formally resigned from the Congress party that he was not getting recognition and honour within the party anymore.
Shri Patnaik resigned from the primary membership of the Congress party and said that he would not join any party and keep himself busy in social services.
The former Chief Secretary emailed his resignation letter to All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Friday.
On February 10, 2023, Shri Patnaik had joined the Congress and was appointed as the campaign committee chairperson of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC).
Later, the party removed him from the crucial post ahead of elections and appointed former Union Minister Bhakta Charan Das in his place.
Party has nominated him for the Assembly election from Paralakhemundi constituency. However, he lost the poll to BJP. In the recently formed Steering Committee, his name was also missing.
In a related development, the Congress party today formed a panel of party leaders, who are authorized to speak on behalf of the party in the media.
The leaders are—CLP Leader Rama Chandra Kadam, Santosh Singh Saluja, Srikant Jena and Biswaranjan Mohanty.