The AICC-appointed Odisha Congress in-charge, Jitendra Singh recently dropped clear hints about a thorough revamp of the party structure in the state. Such an exercise seems to have become imperative following Congress’s crushing defeat in the recent Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.
While in the Lok Sabha the party could manage to win just one seat its assembly tally has slid to 9 from 16 seats in 2014. Embarrassingly enough the Congress has lost its main opposition party tag to the BJP which now has 23 MLAs in the state assembly.
The need for introspection and corrective steps to put the party back on the track cannot be overemphasized. Changes at the top level would be most important in this regard but the biggest challenge for the party in the state is to find a leader with charisma who can change its electoral fortunes. Equally important for the new leader would be to ensure complete unity in the party by sorting out the differences between various factions.