The Hindu : Vora, J.B. Patnaik appointed PCC chiefs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 15, 2004

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Vora, J.B. Patnaik appointed PCC chiefs

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN.14. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, today appointed Moti Lal Vora and J.B. Patnaik as the chiefs of the Chhattisgarh and Orissa Congress Committees respectively.

The senior Jat leader, Narain Singh, was appointed the president of the Rajasthan unit in place of Girja Vyas, who quit owning moral responsibility for the party's debacle in the December Assembly election.

While handing over charge of the Chhattisgarh unit to Mr. Vora, the party has decided to let him hold the post of treasurer of the All India Congress Committee. The Rajya Sabha member, Charan Das Mahant, has been made the working president. The Chhattisgarh unit chief, Ramanuj Yadav, too had quit after the rout in the Assembly polls. While the change in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan was on the cards since the incumbent PCC presidents had put in their papers, the move to carry out a change in Orissa was significant. There was considerable resentment in the faction-ridden State unit over the style of functioning of Sarat Patnaik with a section insisting that the party was not in any position to challenge of the Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine.

Mr. J.B. Patnaik told that his top priority would be to bring together various anti-BJD-BJP forces in the State.

While the ``time was short''as general elections were imminent, he would work hard to achieve unity in the party. On the possible role for the rebel BJD MP, Dilip Ray's contribution,

Mr. Patnaik said Mr. Ray would very much be part of the scheme of things in bringing together the anti-Government forces.

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