Congress likely to field new faces in Odisha

Having lost out to regional party BJD thrice in a row in Odisha, Congress is likely to field new faces in the next Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls.

Bhubaneswar: Having lost out to regional party BJD (Biju Janata Dal) thrice in a row in Odisha, Congress is likely to field new faces in the next Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls.

"More than one member from a family will not get the party ticket this time. Similarly, leaders who were defeated in Assembly or Lok Sabha polls for two consecutive times will be counted as ineligible to contest," AICC general secretary and Odisha in-charge Jagdish Tytler has said. Tytler, who was speaking to newsmen after meeting some of the party`s district presidents here yesterday, said data was being collected for the prospective candidates for the next polls. The state Assembly Elections are held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha Elections in the state. Tytler`s statement has caused discomfort for many senior Congress leaders in the state as most of them have lost elections twice in a row. This apart, one ticket one family formula is likely to affect many of them. Odisha PCC president Niranjan Patnaik`s brother Soumya Ranjan Patnaik was one of the aspiring candidates for the next elections, as also the son of AICC secretary Jaydev Jena, Sangram Keshari, who is the president of Congress youth wing in the state. Late Congress leader Basant Kumar Biswal`s two sons - Chiranjib and Ranjib - are active in the party politics and both aspire tickets for the the next polls. Former MP Ananta Sethi and his son Kumar Chiranjib are also aspirants in the 2014 General Elections. PTI