No more working presidents: Jagdish Tytler

BHUBANESWAR: The restructured Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) may not have the post of working president. The process for appointment of new office-bearers for the OPCC started with party’s Orissa in-charge Jagdish Tytler holding discussions with senior leaders.The post of working president is not in the party constitution. Three working presidents were appointed, along with K P Singhdeo as the OPCC president, before the 2009 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Working presidents were appointed for better coordination during the last elections.The three working presidents are Bhakta Charan Das and Chandrasekhar Sahu (both former Union ministers) and Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra. However, the future shape of the committee is yet to be clear. Niranjan Patnaik was appointed the State party chief nearly a month ago replacing Singhdeo, while new office-bearers and others in the committee are yet to be named.There would be no working president and efforts would be on giving opportunity to youngsters endowed with talent, capability and efficiency, Tytler told mediapersons here on Sunday, adding that those having links with mining mafia will not be allowed in any committees.The senior Congress leader said he had already discussed the matter with several party leaders in New Delhi. Further discussion was held with a host of senior Congress leaders on the selection of the new office-bearers in order to rejuvenate the party to enable it to take on the ruling BJD, Tytler said.Describing the visit of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to Orissa recently as a success, Tytler said partymen had shown enthusiasm during the young leader’s visit, which gave them considerable inspiration.Two former chief ministers, Giridhar Gamang and Hemananda Biswal, and former president of Orissa Pradesh Youth Congress (OPYC) Pradip Majhi, were among others who attended the meeting.State Cong to be revamped