Odishatv Bureau
Bhubaneswar: Bringing an end to the speculation about the formation of a new political outfit ever since his expulsion from the Congress party, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik on Monday declared that he would soon approach the Election Commission for approval of his party.
 
“Recently we had a successful Sankalp Samavesh in Biramaharajpur and we are going to start the alternative Samavesh in that place on November 25.  It will be the Sankalp Samavesh of Ama Odisha for an alternative,” Patnaik told media persons here.
 
“You can say, from that place my political yatra would start,” quipped he without revealing much.
 
Earlier, the former Congress leader who was also an AICC member had said, "The present alternatives are not acceptable (to the people). A new alternative might get acceptance."
 
Political analysts however feel, Patnaik’s proposed party is the outcome of his desire to remain in politics for next few years, after he realised that the possibility of re-entering the Congress in the near future is bleak.
 
On October 1, the Congress party had expelled Soumya for six years for alleged anti-party activities. Soumya had denied any wrongdoing and claimed that his Sankalp Abhijan, which had invited wrath of the Congress bosses, was aimed at strengthening the old party at the grassroots-level.
 
Besides, his rallies were also viewed as an attempt to create a 'parallel organisation'.
 
Soumya's declaration came a week after former state Congress president Niranjan Patnaik expressed his reluctance to contest the assembly elections in 2014 if his 'junior' Jayadev Jena, the OPCC president continued to be at the helm.
 
"Jayadev Jena was my junior. I would not like to contest the assembly elections under his leadership," Niranjan had said.
scrollToTop