Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday appointed Niranjan Patnaik as president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect.
Sitting legislators Naba Kishore Das and Chiranjib Biswal, and former Lok Sabha member Pradeep Majhi were appointed working presidents, according to a release issued by AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot.
Mr. Patnaik has been appointed to the post for the second time after Prasad Harichandan stepped down as OPCC president. He was removed from the post five years ago.
Party legislators and other leaders had been demanding the removal of Mr. Harichandan, particularly since last year’s panchayat elections in which the Congress was pushed to the third position and the BJP emerged as the number two party in the State.
Mr. Gandhi also appointed former MP Bhakta Charan Das as chairperson of the Campaign Committee of the OPCC. AICC in-charge of Odisha Jitendra Singh was appointed chairperson of the Coordination Committee with senior leader Jagannath Patnaik as its convener.
Former PCC president Jayadev Jena was appointed chairperson of the Core Committee and former PCC president Sarat Patnaik as its convener. Former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal was appointed chairperson of the Disciplinary Committee. Former Union Minister Srikant Jena was appointed chairperson of the Manifesto Committee and former Minister Sarat Rout as its convener.
“Though the changes have been effected rather late with prominent leaders given charge of different responsible positions, it will certainly stop the exodus of leaders and strengthen the party in the State,” political analyst Rabi Das said.
After appointing Mr. Singh as AICC in-charge of Odisha in March this year, Mr. Gandhi had appointed three AICC secretaries and one AICC joint secretary to manage the party affairs in Odisha a few days ago.
