Cong state chief skips Kharge meet with party leaders

Bhubaneswar: State Congress chief Sarat Pattanayak was conspicuous by his absence as AICC presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge met delegates of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) here on Friday and sought their votes.
Though several leaders, including MLAs, former legislators and former party state presidents were present during Kharge’s meeting at the Congress Bhawan, Pattanayak’s absence was the main talking point and comes in the backdrop of Shashi Tharoor’s comment of alleged indifference in treatment meted out to him by some state chiefs during campaigning. Tharoor, who is also in fray for the AICC president’s post, is yet to visit the state to seek OPCC votes for the October 17 election.
“I deliberately skipped Kharge ji’s campaigning as my presence would have been construed as my support for him. Tharoor ji is also a candidate. But this does not mean I am opposed to any of the presidential candidates. We will cast votes for the leader of our choice,” Pattanayak said.
While other leaders refused to comment on their voting preference, Jatni MLA Suresh Rautray openly extended his support to Kharge. “Kharge, who seems to have an edge over Tharoor, did not force anyone to join his campaign,” Rautray said.
Talking about the fight with Tharoor, Kharge said, “I have been garnering support in different states. But I have never forced any leader to attend my campaigns. We are just rival candidates contesting for a post. But we belong to the Congress family and do not have any differences. Our motto is one — to strengthen the party.”
While Tharoor has already released his manifesto to revive the party, Kharge said his priority would be to implement the decisions taken in the recent Udaipur Chintan Shivir. The OPCC has 427 eligible voters.