Congress Accepts Odisha Verdict, Vows to Fight for Resources

Senior Congress leader Ajoy Kumar announced the party's acceptance of the Odisha assembly election results, where they secured 14 seats. He warned of the BJP's potential exploitation of resources and vowed that Congress would vigorously protect the state's interests. Kumar also commented on the Lok Sabha election outcomes and future party strategies.

Senior Congress leader Ajoy Kumar on Thursday stated that the party has humbly accepted the people's verdict from the recently concluded Odisha assembly election.

The Congress secured 14 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. 'We humbly accept the verdict of the people of Odisha in the recently concluded election. However, we want to warn the people that they are going to lose their 'jal' (water), 'jungle' (forest) and 'pani' (water) as the BJP is set to form the government in the state,' Kumar expressed during a press conference.

He assured Odisha's populace that Congress would fight both inside and outside the assembly for the next five years to protect the state's resources.

'Our 14 newly elected MLAs will fight like 140 MLAs and will stand tall to protect the people of Odisha,' Kumar affirmed.

The Congress had previously won nine seats in the 2019 Odisha Assembly election.

The senior Congress leader accused the BJP of planning to exploit Odisha’s tribal land and natural resources.

Commenting on the Lok Sabha election results, Kumar said, 'The people of our country have shown BJP their place. We fought this election not only against the BJP but also against central agencies like ED, CBI, IT, etc. If there had been a level playing field, Congress would have won 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls.' Addressing the Congress's underperformance in the Odisha elections, Kumar mentioned that many candidates lost by narrow margins, with responsibilities to be reassigned within the party organization accordingly.