Odisha Looking For An Alternative, Pyari’s Daughter After Joining Congress

Bhubaneswar: The trend of switching parties ahead of 2024 is gaining pace in Odisha. Sikta Pati, daughter of late bureaucrat-turned-politician Pyarimohan Mohapatra, joined Congress on Wednesday.

Following her induction, the Odisha Congress wrote, “With her (Sikta’s) strong leadership skills and unwavering commitment to social justice, Dr Pati is a valuable addition to the party. Welcome aboard! @SaratPatINC.”

She joined the grand old party in presence of Odisha Congress in-charge A Chellakumar, OPCC president Sarat Kumar Pattanayak and former OPCC president and senior leader Niranjan Patnaik at a special event (Mishran Parva) at the Congress Bhawan.

After Pyari’s demise on March 19, 2017, Sikta joined Odisha Jana Morcha (OJM), the party founded by her father, and became its Secretary-General. In 2019, she joined the BJD in presence of party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

“This was an opportunity to become part of a national political party (INC). Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra inspired me to join the party. I will discharge my duties as it will assign me to,” Sikta said.

Stating that it was too early to say anything about the results of the 2024 general elections, she said that the party in the ruling had reached a saturation point and people were looking for an alternative. “It is important for people to know which alternative is good for them,” she said.

When asked about her contesting the elections, she answered in the negative. “I don’t have any plan to contest elections for the time being. First, I would like to work for the people,” she added.