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Signalling a transition in Congress leadership at the state level, the AICC today named former party chief whip and minister Prasad Harichandan as the president of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), replacing the incumbent Jayadev Jena.
The demand for Jena’s ouster had gained momentum in the past few days with his critics within the party blaming him for the party’s poor performance in the general election and assembly polls in the state earlier this year and also by-polls for Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat recently.
Though there were other contenders- former MP from Nabarangpur Pradeep Majhi, MLA and state party treasurer Chiranjib Biswal and old warhorse Niranjan Pattnaik, the Congress high command zeroed in on Harichandan.
The change in guard comes at a time when the state Congress unit is in disarray and marred by intra-party skirmishes months after the party’s humiliating debacle in the 2014 elections. The Congress managed to bag just 16 out of 147 assembly seats in the state and drew a blank in the Lok Sabha polls.
Newly chosen party president Harichandan listed winning back people’s confidence as his key priority.
“I am an ordinary worker of the party and this onerous responsibility has been assigned to me at a critical time. We will reorganise the party from the grassroots level. The focus will be on collective leadership by taking everybody along. We will fight for the interest of the people and win back their support,” Harichandan said.
Harichandan took the big bang plunge into electoral politics when he unsuccessfully contested the redoubtable Biju Patnaik, former state chief minister, in the 1990 polls. Despite ending up a loser, Harichandan left his mark.
Known to be an avid reader, he is second to none when it comes to articulating views on key issues.
Harichandan’s elevation as the PCC is expected to resurrect the state Congress.
Lately, the chorus for ouster of Jayadev Jena had gained currency. Thirteen leaders from the state Congress unit, including seven MLAs, had met AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday in a bid to convince the party high command for a leadership change.
Last week, the Congress leaders had voiced their opposition to Jena at an informal get together convened by former chief minister Hemananda Biswal.
The disillusionment with the party president coincided with the return of veteran Congress leader and former chief minister J B Patnaik to Odisha following the end of his tenure as the Assam governor.
Jena claimed earlier that he had tendered his resignation to the party high command on May 16 this year, owning up responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the elections.
