Niranjan Patnaik appointed Odisha PCC president

Bhubaneswar: Niranjan Patnaik has been appointed as the new Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president while senior Congress leader Bhakta Das has been named as campaign committee chairman.

It was announced after a meeting of senior leaders from Odisha with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Thursday.

Niranjan will replace Prasad Harichandan as Odisha PCC president.

Chiranjib Biswal, Pradip Majhi and Naba Das have been appointed as working presidents of Odisha PCC.

Former Union Minister Srikant Jena has been made chief of manifesto committee while former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal is made chief of the disciplinary committee, according to an AICC release.

Jaydev Jena has been appointed as Odisha Congress core committee chairman, the release added.

Senior Congress leaders from Odisha, including Prasad Harichandan, Niranjan Patnaik, Narasingha Mishra, Bhakta Das, Pradip Majhi, Chiranjib Biswal and Naba Das met All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Rahul Gandhi at his residence in a bid to revive the party in Odisha.

Party state in-charge Jitendra Singh also accompanied the leaders.

Notably, several leaders including the MLAs were demanding a change of PCC president in the state as the party failed to put up an impressive show under the leadership of Prasad Harichandan.