Congress Eyes Major Gains in Odisha: AICC's Ajoy Kumar Confident

Dr Ajoy Kumar, AICC member in charge of Odisha, predicts strong performance for Congress in Odisha's assembly elections, claiming the party could win 8-9 Lok Sabha seats. He criticizes BJP's decade-long rule and mocks their 400-plus seat slogan, linking it to rising fuel prices.

AICC member in charge of Odisha, Dr Ajoy Kumar, on Monday claimed that the party would perform exceedingly well in the assembly elections and no government could be formed without the Congress.

The party is also likely to win eight/nine of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Kumar said while addressing a press conference here. Kumar claimed that the people of the country were fed up with the ten-year ''misrule'' of the BJP and they want a change this time.

To a query about the party's poll prospect in Odisha, he said, ''The Congress has a bright chance to win at least 8/9 Lok sabha constituencies and also perform exceedingly well in the assembly polls.

''It is certain that no government can be formed in Odisha without Congress,'' he asserted.

Referring to BJP's 400-plus seat slogan, Kumar said that it was misunderstood by the people. ''It was not 400-plus seats the BJP was going to win. They meant that the prices of petrol and diesel would go up to Rs 400 per litre if BJP retained the power in the ensuing general election,'' he said sarcastically.

On the Congress' stand over AAP MP Swati Maliwal's ''assault'' inside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, Kumar said the party is against any offence against women. ''But why the BJP is silent over JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna's case? Hundreds of audio and videos related to sexual abuse (involving him) surfaced but no action was taken against him yet,'' he said. In the press conference, Kumar was accompanied by JMM Central Committee General Secretary Suprio Bhattacharyya. He said the INDIA bloc would hold a large meeting on Tuesday. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren will address the public meeting at Gopal Maidan here.