BHUBANESWAR, FEB 10: Loyalists of Orissa Chief Minister, JB Patnaik have launched a signature campaign urging AICC president, Sonia Gandhi not to accept their leader's resignation even as PCC Chief, Hemananda Biswal appeared to emerge as the consensus choice of all anti-Patnaik forces within the ruling Congress.Several ministers and legislators, owing allegiance to Patnaik, had begun a move to rally the party rank and file in support of the Chief Minister requesting the AICC chief to allow him to continue in office in the greater interest of the party.Although none of the pro-Patnaik ministers and MLAs would publicly acknowledge the signature campaign, party sources said a majority of legislators had already signed the letter. Efforts were on to rope in more MLAs and party functionaries at the district and block levels before the document is sent to the AICC, disclosed a prominent MLA.Another pro-Patnaik leader said that several MLAs had already faxed their requests to the AICC chief and more would follow.A number of pro-Congress minority organisations also faxed letters to Sonia Gandhi imploring her to retain the Chief Minister.
