In Congress dissolution of Odisha unit, party leaders see new resolve, hope for a new start

New CLP leader

Already, the AICC has appointed three-time Pottangi MLA Rama Chandra Kadam, a tribal face from Koraput district, as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. While five-time MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati was the frontrunner for the post, Kadam’s tribal identity is believed to have worked in his favour. Before 2024, Kadam was elected to the Assembly in 1995 and 2009.

With the BJP having recently chosen Mohan Charan Majhi, a tribal, as its Chief Minister, the Congress — by picking a tribal face — is trying to send a message that it too cares for tribals, who comprise around 23% of the state’s population.

Nine of the Congress’s 14 MLAs are tribals. Kadam hails from the Congress stronghold of Koraput, from where the party won seven seats, of which six are tribals. Its lone MP from Odisha, Saptagiri Ulaka, representing the Koraput (ST-reserved) Lok Sabha seat, is believed to have lobbied for Kadam.

While first-time MLA from Basudevpur, Ashok Das, has been appointed the deputy leader of the CLP, two-time tribal legislator C S Raazen Ekka, an ex-serviceman, has been appointed its chief whip, ahead of the Budget Session of the Odisha Assembly, starting Monday.

In with the new…

The grand old party that ruled the state for over four decades, has been out of power since 2000, and has been relegated to No. 3 in the state since 2019. Amidst the party’s factional wars, a majority of its leaders have jumped ship over the years, mostly to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Though the party had shown new energy after Ajoy Kumar took over as the AICC in-charge of the state in January, it failed to build real momentum. Ahead of the 2024 polls, the Congress tried to build a narrative that it is the “real Opposition” in the state, highlighting the growing bonhomie between the BJD and BJP, and their efforts to form a coalition (which eventually didn’t work out).

“Had there been a coalition between the BJD and the BJP, the Congress could have gained the anti-incumbency votes and increased its vote share and tally in the Assembly. Since the alliance didn’t work out, the Congress failed to reap any benefit from it. We never seriously tried to rebuild our organisation in the state,” said a senior Congress leader.

In the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls of 2024, even as the Congress improved its tally in the Assembly — up to 14 from nine in 2019 — the party’s vote share reduced to just 13.26% from 16.3% five years ago. In the Lok Sabha polls, it managed to retain its lone Koraput seat, but here too, its vote share declined, to 12.52% from 14% in 2019.

PCC president Sarat Pattanayak, who contested from the Nuapada Assembly segment, finished fourth by securing only 15,501 votes.

Even though it had already been established that in most Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in the state, the party’s participation was token, it hit a new low when this year, nearly 70 of its Assembly candidates secured less than 10,000 votes. Most of its 14 candidates who won their Assembly seats are known to have pulled through because of their individual popularity.

Congress leaders said several factors were responsible for the party’s poor showing. These include the lack of a credible, pan-Odisha face, failure to develop a narrative like the BJP (which succeeded with Odia Asmita, i.e. pride), wrong candidate selections, and lack of funding for candidates. In fact, its Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sucharita Mohanty returned the ticket, citing lack of funds from the party.

Out with the old?

Now that the BJP has gained power in Odisha, and Naveen Patnaik’s BJD has lost power for the first time in 24 years, the Congress leadership is hopeful of rebuilding the party in the state, by infusing fresh blood and adopting new strategies.

“The BJD’s future entirely depends on Naveen Patnaik. As it hasn’t groomed any successor, nobody knows its fate after Patnaik. Many of our leaders who jumped to the BJD and failed to make a mark there have made up their minds to come back soon. All these are factors that should favour a Congress revival. What the party needs is a credible face who can take everyone along,” said the Congress leader.

Welcoming the AICC decision, senior Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati claimed good days are coming for the party. “All Congress members should respect the AICC’s roadmap for the party’s revival and work unitedly. No one should make any unnecessary comments that embarrass the leadership,” he said.

Senior Congress leader and former PCC president Jayadev Jena said the high command might have a different game plan in mind behind the major Odisha shake-up. “I hardly remember the last time when the AICC dissolved the entire PCC unit. It generally appoints the PCC president, who recommends names of AICC leaders for his team. The high command may have planned something different this time to revive the party. I welcome the move,” Jena told The Indian Express.

The AICC decision came amid demands for the removal of Sarat Pattanayak as the OPCC president over the party’s poor poll performance. On June 21, Pattanayak was doused with ink at his chamber, allegedly by ‘disgruntled’ Congressmen, following which five workers were expelled.