BHUBANESWAR: Disappointed with the defeat in Umerkote, the Congress has decided to take on the ruling BJD during the winter session of the Assembly commencing from December 9. Sources said a meeting of the senior leaders and legislators will be convened before the Assembly session starts to discuss and finalise the strategy. As the panchayat elections are only four months away, the party leadership wants the State Government to be exposed in the House. The beginning for the new leadership of the State Congress headed by president Niranjan Patnaik has not been good as the party lost in two elections. The first defeat for the party came in the Kendrapara municipal election in November where the Congress-NCP alliance could win only six out of the 21 seats while the BJD bagged 13 seats. The Congress camp was disappointed as the party had raised the profile of the campaign by roping in Union Minister Srikant Jena. Besides, State Congress president Niranjan Patnaik and several other leaders campaigned for the party candidates. The Congress tally of five seats was less than what the party had won earlier. The Umerkote result also does not have anything for the party to cheer about. Though the Congress got 7,000 more votes than in the last elections, its candidate finished third. The party’s target to woo the tribals back into its fold failed. Several senior leaders maintained that the party has to improve its performance in the panchayat polls as it will be a trailer for the Assembly polls in 2014. Congress has been out of power in Odisha since 2000 and lost three Assembly polls. The winter session of the Assembly will provide another opportunity to the Congress to attack the Naveen Patnaik Government against whom a series of scams have come to light.
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