New job: Bhakta out of PCC race

BHUBANESWAR: With the Congress high command appointing Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das as an AICC spokesperson, speculation about him being a frontrunner to replace Niranjan Patnaik as Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president has come to rest.
Das was among four names which were being wide discussed in party circles here as possible contenders to succeed Niranjan, who took over the reins of the state Congress in June, 2011.Though speculation of Niranjan being on his way out got strengthened in February, when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi during a visit to Odisha set a three-month deadline to set party affairs in order in the state.
Though Rahul had since kept mum on the issue and AICC general secretary in charge of Odisha Jagdish Tytler has clarified that he had no knowledge of the party high command's plans to oust Niranjan, party circles have been discussing the possibility of a new person heading the state party unit soon.
But with Das' nomination as one of the eight AICC spokespersons, it now seems unlikely that he would be considered a contender to take over from Niranjan, a senior party leader said. "Das being from the Scheduled Caste community was regarded as a possibility to replace Niranjan," the leader noted.
On April 27, Das along with Union minister Srikant Jena, AICC secretary Jayadev Jena and L B Mohapatra had met Rahul in New Delhi. Jayadev had then said, "Rahulji told us that the party's organizational matters in the state will be sorted out very soon."
The quartet had on March 25 also met Rahul and discussed ways in which the party organization could be strengthened in the state. Subsequently, they had submitted a joint memorandum on ways to revive the party's fortunes in Odisha.