Samikhsya Bureau
There is a palpable turmoil in the Congress party in Odisha. Rebellion is almost out in the open over alleged questionable yardsticks being adopted to select the candidates in many places. It is not alone in the Congress but the malady is all too pervasive for all the parties.
The most recent case being the exit of Bibhu Prasad Tarai, a former communist leader turned Congress spokesman who left the Congress on Wednesday being debarred from a candidature for the Lok sabha and instead Tarai was asked to fight for an Assembly seat which prompted Tarai to resign from the Congress and as rumours would have us believe that the latter may head towards the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Tarai has termed the decision as politically motivated by the state leadership and completely partisan in nature.
On the other hand the Congress leader and two times MLA from Pipli in Puri district, Yudhistir Samantray has nearly revolted accusing the PCC chief Niranjan Patnaik for deliberately delaying his case as a candidate for Pipili and has at last scuttled his chances to remain in the fray. Samantray, an old-timer in the Congress, has given to know that a leader of his seniority should not be kept hanging in balance for so long, hence he decided neither to contest nor join any other party.
Similar such casualties the Congress suffered were the senior leader Naba Das of Jharsuguda who joined the BJD protesting the style of functioning by the PCC leadership. The Congress may lose a traditional stronghold i.e Salepur Assembly seat post the exit of Prakash Behera who joined the BJP when denied the ticket and now fighting for the same seat from the BJP ticket.
Even the selection of Sarat Patnaik as the Lok sabha candidate may not go well with him and his supporters and the Congress insiders in Bolangir, the home turf of Sarat Patnaik, feel that Patnaik is being fielded there which he can never win.
