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Thursday, Jun 12, 2008
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Infighting dogs Congress in State

Special Correspondent

BHUBANEWAR: Even as workers of the Opposition Congress are hopeful that their party would be voted to power in the State in the coming polls, the problem of infighting continues to dog the State unit.

Detractors of Pradesh Congress Committee president Jayadev Jena are hoping that the All-India Congress Committee will effect a change in the party leadership in the months to come.

Despite State in charge of the party Ajay Maken making a statement before the media that a change in the PCC leadership was not on the cards, those aspiring for the post are of the view that the All India Congress Committee (AICC) will drop Mr. Jena latest by September this year.

Despite the Congress winning the recent byelection in Laxmipur, Mr. Jena’s opponents feel that he cannot successfully lead the party in the polls.

Those supporting Mr. Jena, however, have an entirely different view. The AICC was in the full know of the dissidence problem in the party, but it was making all-out efforts to carry everybody along, they said.

As Congress leaders in New Delhi were treating Orissa as a crucial State ahead of the polls, the AICC had started overseeing all agitational and organisational programmes of the party in the State, they said.

Novel method

The AICC is reportedly applying a novel method to contain infighting. Party observers coming from New Delhi are making serious efforts to involve all senior leaders in every programme organised by the PCC.

“The idea is that whoever stays away from the party’s programmes will automatically get isolated,” a senior party leader said on Wednesday.

The leader said chances of the AICC replacing Mr. Jena at this stage appeared bleak. As early elections were very much a possibility, Mr. Jena’s removal was most unlikely, he added.

He further said the infighting problem would gradually come to an end as a majority of leaders, who had lost their seats due to delimitation of constituencies, would have to concentrate on making fresh preparations to fight the polls.

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