'Will work to win back people's trust in Cong'

Bhubaneswar: Noting that Congress was passing through a critical phase in Odisha, newly appointed Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan on Monday said he would work hard to restore people's confidence in the organisation through collective leadership.

"I am an ordinary worker of the party. I will take all sections in Congress along in order to rebuild and rejuvenate the party right from the grassroots level," Harichandan told reporters soon after AICC announced his appointment.

The 47-year-old leader said he would make all efforts to unite all partymen and seek the blessings of all senior leaders and cooperation of frontal organisation in order to revive the party in Odisha.

Mentioning that his endeavour would be to work through a collective leadership, Harichandan said the major challenge before the party at this juncture is to win back people's confidence and he was confident about achieving this goal.

Thanking Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi for giving him this "difficult responsibility", Harichandan said the party would certainly be able to regain its strength in the state.

Reacting to Prasad's appointment, his predecessor Jaydev Jena said the party high-command had given responsibility to a young leader and "we will work with him and extend all cooperation."

Former OPCC President Niranjan Patnaik said by appointing Harichandan, the party has signalled that it wants young leaders to take command.

Harichandan, who was Congress chief whip in last Assembly, had lost the elections from his home turf of Satyabadi constituency in Puri district.