Resentment was reportedly witnessed among some Congress leaders of Odisha after they were denied party tickets. Their supporters stormed the Congress Bhawan in Bhubaneswar and created a ruckus on Monday.
As per reports, party workers and supporters of Congress leader Jayant Bhoi, who was hopeful of a ticket in Jayadev Assembly constituency, raised a hullabaloo at the party office after he was denied a ticket. In his place, Krushna Sagaria was fielded by the party in the seat.
Bhoi’s supporters shouted slogans against the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Sarat Pattanayak and wanted to know why Sagaria was given a ticket in Jayadev constituency while he belongs to a place 700 km away. They clamoured for an immediate change of the party’s decision and reconsideration of Bhoi's candidature.
Jayant Bhoi said, "We did what was instructed to us, either applying through Pragaman or INCbooth.com in the last six months. We have done booth-level activities. We have personally met 53,372 people of the scheduled caste in the constituency. People regardless of their social status and castes were prepared to vote for Congress.”
He fumed that Krushna Sagaria, who lives in south Odisha, about 700 km away was made a candidate here. “We want to see the person who has conspired in this matter,” he shouted.
Later, scores of supporters of Congress leader Nishikant Mishra rocked the party office as the party denied a ticket to him for the Pipili Assembly segment.
They shouted slogans against the PCC chief Sarat Pattanayak and the party’s Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar.
Also Read | Two sitting BJD MLAs allege conspiracy by 'coterie group' behind denial of tickets to them
One of the supporters of Nishikant said, "The PCC chief had always told us to look after the grassroots and assured us to give the ticket to Nishikant. We had started campaigning.”
However, reactions of the PCC chief or the party's Odisha in-charge have not been received.