Congress campaign chairman Bhakta Charan Das resigns over poor Odisha poll results

Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), June 10: In light of Congress’ disappointing performance in both the Assembly and Parliament elections in Odisha, senior leader Bhakta Charan Das has resigned from his position as Campaign Committee Chairman of the state unit.

In a letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Das expressed his regret over the party’s failure to meet expectations. “I worked hard to contribute my best, but unfortunately, we fell short of expectations. I take moral responsibility for the failure to secure the expected number of seats in both the Assembly and Parliament elections in Odisha,” he wrote.

Das also extended appreciation for the support and cooperation received from Congress President Kharge, former president Rahul Gandhi, and other senior leaders of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) during the election.

While the Congress’ ambitious ‘nine to 90’ mission in the state faltered, it marginally improved its tally to 14 seats in the recently-concluded Assembly polls. Additionally, the party successfully retained the lone Koraput Lok Sabha seat, which it had won in the previous elections.

Despite some victories, key figures such as Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak and Das himself faced defeat by their Biju Janata Dal (BJD) counterparts in the Nuapada and Narla Assembly constituencies, respectively.