Odisha Assembly Polls: Prabodh Tirkey Resigns From Cong After Being Replaced As Candidate For Talasara

Bhubaneswar: Former Indian hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey on Saturday resigned from Congress after the party dropped him as its nominee for Talasara Assembly constituency in Odisha’s Sundargarh district.

Tirkey was nominated by Congress as its candidate for Talasara. But the party replaced him in its second list of 75 candidates released on Sunday and nominated Debendra Bhitaria.

Tirkey, who had joined Congress in September 2023, had expressed shock over the party’s decision to drop him. “I have no idea as to why I have been dropped by the party. I will speak to senior leaders and find out the reason,” he said.

Stating that he was already campaigning in the constituency, Tirkey said he would speak to OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak and AICC Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar and others before commenting on the development.

With the Congress not making further changes in the announced list, Tirkey sent his resignation letter to the OPCC president. He said he would take decision on his next course of action after consulting his followers and well-wishers in the constituency.