Jaydev Jena

Bhubaneswar, May 13: The Congress today appointed Dalit leader Jaydev Jena as its new president in the state, ending incumbent Niranjan Patnaik’s 23-month reign.

Jena, who in his earlier avatar as the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief from 2004 to 2009 had to step down before the last Assembly elections, hopes to lead the party to victory at the hustings in 2014.

“During my last stint I did not get the opportunity to face the ultimate test (Assembly elections). I hope I will get the scope this time. My sole agenda is to bring the Congress back to power,” Jena said soon after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) announced his name as the replacement for Patnaik. Incidentally, his son, Sangram Jena happens to be the state Youth Congress chief.

A former minister, 62-year-old Jena, who was a secretary of the All India Congress Committee before being appointed the PCC chief, has represented Anandpur in Keonjhar district in the Assembly four times. Considered an arch-rival of Patnaik, who also hails from the same district, Jena said he would strive to take the party with him putting an end to factional fights.

“I supported Niranjan Babu wholeheartedly and expect the same support from him,” he said even though Congress circles were rife with speculation about other organisational changes under Jena.

Patnaik welcomed the decision and said he would continue to work as the loyal soldier of the party. “It’s wrong to describe the move as a blow to me. I have worked for the party for the past 40 years. I will fully co-operate with the new leader and work to bring the party back to power in the state,” he said.

The appointment of Jena comes in the wake of two important meetings that AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi had with the state’s other senior leaders, including Union minister Srikant Jena, former minister Bhakta Charan Das, Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra and Jena himself. Before the closed-door meetings, Rahul had paid a visit to the state in February to assess the ground situation.

Union minister Jena hailed the appointment of Jaydev, hoping that the new leader would wage a battle against the corrupt Naveen Patnaik government, which had exploited the people of the state in every possible way.

“He has the experience to wage such a battle. Odisha’s exploitation must end,” said Jena. Senior leaders, including Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das and Nowrangpur MP Pradeep Majhi, expressed solidarity with Jena and promised co-operation.

Though the general mood in the state Congress office here was upbeat, followers of the outgoing president appeared crestfallen. Asserting that Patnaik’s 23 months in office had galvanised the party and the Congress under his leadership had recently won the elections in the three Notified Area Councils, they said the AICC had made a miscalculation in making a change at this crucial juncture. “This is like changing horses midstream. It may prove detrimental to the party,” said one of them, pointing that it was under the influence of Patnaik that former Puri MLA Uma Ballabh Rath had joined the party today.

Shocked by the decision, another leader said Patnaik’s tenure as the PCC president was one of the most eventful in the recent history of the party. “Under his leadership, the party organised one of its most successful rallies in Bhubaneswar last year,” said the leader.