In Bhubaneswar, Sucharita Mohanty, the nominated candidate of Congress for Puri Lok Sabha, has relinquished her candidacy citing insufficient financial support. She articulated her decision, emphasizing the detrimental impact of the party’s financial constraints on her electoral campaign in the Puri Parliamentary constituency. Consequently, the party swiftly designated Jay Narayan Patnaik as its alternative candidate for the Puri constituency.
Mohanty elucidated, “The inadequacy of financial backing from the party prompted my withdrawal. Moreover, I harbor reservations regarding the nomination of certain suboptimal candidates in seven Assembly segments, a factor that influenced my decision not to vie for the elections.”
In a communiqué addressed to AICC General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal, Mohanty, progeny of former Congress MP Brajamohan Mohanty, lamented the adverse impact of fund deprivation on her electoral endeavors in Puri. She lamented, “Our endeavors in the Puri Lok Sabha realm have been gravely hampered by the dearth of financial resources. AICC’s Odisha In-Charge, Ajoy Kumar, explicitly instructed me to self-finance my electoral pursuits.” Reflecting on her decade-long journey from journalism to politics, she underscored her fervent dedication to her Puri campaign, citing futile attempts at crowdfunding and cost-cutting measures.
Facing insurmountable challenges in garnering external financial support, Mohanty beseeched senior party functionaries, including the central leadership, for financial aid to bolster her electoral campaign in Puri. Expressing regret at the indispensability of party funding for a formidable campaign, she tendered her resignation from the Puri Lok Sabha candidature.
Nonetheless, Mohanty reaffirmed her unwavering allegiance to the Congress party, with her loyalty unwaveringly directed towards Rahul Gandhi, her esteemed leader. She bemoaned the inability to conduct a people-centric campaign owing to financial constraints, attributing the party’s predicament to the punitive measures imposed by the incumbent BJP government.
Ajoy Kumar, AICC’s Odisha in-charge, refuted Mohanty’s allegations, affirming the party’s commitment to fielding exemplary candidates and providing financial support to candidates who demonstrate earnest dedication to ground-level campaigning. He reminded Mohanty of her earlier commitment to fervently contest the elections when soliciting the party ticket.
The party, having proposed a substitution for the Puri LS candidacy, is poised to unveil the identity of the new candidate imminently. Sucharita Mohanty, pitted against BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra and BJD’s Arup Patnaik, former Commissioner of Mumbai Police, was the Congress party’s contender for the Puri Lok Sabha seat.