Congress asks Mahant to submit report on Odisha unit affairs

Bhubaneswar: The Congress has directed senior party leader Charan Das Mahant to submit a detailed report on the leadership and organisational affairs of the party’s Odisha unit. Mahant, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, has also been instructed to coordinate with Meenakshi Natarajan and other Congress leaders.

In a letter shared by Mahant on social media platform X on Thursday, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal stated: “This is to inform you that the Hon’ble Congress President has deputed you to Odisha to submit a detailed report on the leadership and organisational affairs of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee. Kindly proceed at the earliest and coordinate with the other member, Ms. Meenakshi Natarajan.”

Seventy-year-old Mahant had also served as the Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Assembly from January 4, 2019, to December 17, 2023. Sharing the letter on X, Mahant said: “I express my gratitude to (Congress) National President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, (and) K C Venugopal for showing trust and confidence. I assure you of fulfilling this huge responsibility with full devotion and honesty.”

in July this year, the Congress dissolved the party’s Odisha unit and dismissed all State office-bearers including the State president Sarat Pattanayak following its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the State. Apart from this, all the district, block and divisional committees of the party in Odisha were also dissolved by the party after the poll debacle.