Amid the demands for a complete overhaul and change in Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) leadership, a delegation of the party leaders left for New Delhi on Sunday to meet the high command and put forth their suggestions.
The delegation included senior Congress leaders Jayadev Jena, Suresh Routray, Mohammed Moquim, Ramesh Jena and Santosh Singh Saluja. Later, OPCC chief Niranjan Patnaik and senior leader Narasingha Mishra also left for New Delhi.
As per reports, they will meet Rahul Gandhi on Monday and discuss matters pertaining to the OPCC restructuring. Apart from this, Gandhi is likely to discuss the road map for the 2024 general elections with the State leaders.
Before leaving for Delhi, MLA Suresh Routray said, “We will suggest different ways to strengthen the party from the grassroots level. Deciding the next OPCC Chief rests solely on the high command. We will accept whoever is made the chief and help him make Congress stronger in Odisha.”
MLA Mohammed Moquim, who spoke to the reporters at Bhubaneswar airport, said, "Hopefully, all the speculations around the OPCC chief will come to an end after we meet Rahul Gandhi."
When asked about the probable names as the OPCC chief, Moquim said, “The party won’t differentiate between senior or junior. Whoever Rahul Gandhi thinks is capable enough to steer the Congress party towards victory will be given a chance to head OPCC.”
Odisha Congress in-charge A Chellakumar has already submitted his assessment report to the high command. And, tomorrow's meeting is expected to be the final call before declaring name of the new OPCC chief.