Odisha Congress’ Sankalpa Padayatra on Feb 18

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has announced a Sankalpa Padayatra from Bhubaneswar to Puri on February 18. The party has urged all leaders and workers to actively participate in the march, which will commence from Biju Patnaik Airport.

“We have decided to carry out a Sankalpa Padayatra to Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri. The march will begin on February 18, and all party leaders and cadres are requested to take part,” the OPCC stated on Friday.

To coordinate the event, the OPCC has formed a 16-member committee chaired by former MLA Debasis Pattnaik. The committee includes ex-MLA Mohammed Moquim, Congress legislators Ramesh Jena, Dasarathi Gomango, C.S. Raazen Ekka, Kadraka Appala Swamy, and Ashok Kumar Das, among others.

Notably, newly appointed OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das has previously organized multiple Padayatras and cycle Yatras across the state on various social issues. Since taking charge on February 11, Das has emphasized unity within the party, asserting that he will work alongside both senior and junior leaders.

In a significant move, Das also revoked the suspension and expulsion orders issued against party leaders in the past, allowing them to rejoin. Additionally, he invited former Congress leaders who had left the party to return.

“If they are willing to rejoin the Congress by showing faith in its policies and ideals, they will be welcomed with honor,” Das stated on Friday.