Cong will Slip to Third Position: Niranjan

Bhubaneswar: A day before the announcement of results of simultaneous polls, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Niranjan Patnaik Wednesday admitted that his party will slip to third position this time.

Speaking to reporters here, Niranjan said he is in doubt whether the Congress will emerge as the principal Opposition party in the state Assembly. “The Congress will be the main Opposition party in the Assembly if the BJP joins hand with the BJD,” he said with a smiling face.

Commenting on performance of the party in this election, he said, “The Congress will fare better in south and the coastal Odisha districts. But winning seats in western Odisha appears remote. However, we will open account in both Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in the region.”

The state Congress president was unable to name which LS seat in the western Odisha they are going to win.

It appears that Niranjan is confused over winning two MLA seats — Bhandaripokhari and Ghasipura – he contested. He had stated Tuesday that he would lose Ghasipura seat against BJD leader Badri Narayan Patra and win the Bhandaripokhari seat. However, Wednesday he claimed that he is going to win both the seats.

When asked about the margin of votes if he wins the two seats, he said, “The margin is just an arithmetic game. But, we will win Bhandaripokhari seat with a huge margin. It will be little less in case of Ghasipura.”

Blame game begins; Jagannath Patnaik quits

Meanwhile, blame game in the state unit of Congress has begun with the statement of the state president. All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary Sarat Rout blamed Team Niranjan for the possible poor performance in the elections.

“The OPCC head has disappointed the party workers and poll candidates and he has broken the trust of AICC President Rahul Gandhi as well. He will be responsible for party’s performance in Odisha,” Rout told reporters.

When asked about Patnaik’s poll analysis, he said, “If we slip to third position, it will be due to our mistakes and mismanagement. There were several lacunae in ticket distribution and lack of interest in poll management by the state leadership.”

The Congress leader also said that the party candidates were helpless during the campaign as no one either from state committee or from Centre went to help them.

“Neither had we received any financial nor moral support from the party. I was contesting the polls from Sukinda seat. We fought the polls without support. We could have performed well, but it did not happen,” the AICC secretary said.

In another turn of events, senior Congress leader from western Odisha Jagannath Patnaik has resigned from the party posts and its primary membership. He resigned from the post of convenor of PCC Coordination Committee and member of Election Committee.

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