In Odisha, the Congress party is working to revive its organisation and reclaim the position of being the principal opposition force against the BJP government. Even though it is third in terms of seats after BJP and BJD, it wants to fill the political vacuum in the opposition space as both BJP and BJD are often perceived to be close. The grand old party has constituted a new 25-member political affairs committee to be headed by former UP state chief Ajay Kumar Lalu to guide the Odisha Congress.
The BJD having lost power in the 2024 elections after more than two decades of rule became the official opposition party following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) electoral victory. The BJD has 51 seats in the state assembly.
With only 14 seats in the 147-member Odisha Legislative Assembly, Congress has adopted bold tactics to regain political relevance and visibility. The party is focusing on alleged governance failures under the BJP-led government, particularly highlighting emotive issues such as women’s safety.
A central part of Congress’s critique has been Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s own admission that over 36,000 women and 8,400 children have gone missing. The party has seized on this to challenge the BJP's law-and-order credentials, aiming to mobilise public sentiment, especially in tribal-dominated regions like Koraput and Nabarangpur.
Meanwhile, the BJD, despite being the official opposition, has taken a notably subdued approach since its 2024 defeat. Its response has been limited to sporadic statements and symbolic actions, such as lodging complaints with the Election Commission. Congress is now stepping into this vacuum, presenting itself as a more vocal and active opposition to the BJP government.
Following its poor performance in the 2024 elections, Congress dissolved the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) in July 2024 to address internal factionalism and leadership challenges. The party is now working to unify its ranks and develop a cohesive political strategy.
However, internal challenges remain. “There is a lack of credible leadership in the state who can direct the trajectory of the party,” a senior Congress leader admitted. To tackle this, Congress has constituted a new political affairs committee to steer the state unit back to prominence.
The 25-member political affairs committee will be headed by former Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu. The committee will help the state unit to strategise its activities in the state to counter the ruling BJP.
The Opposition space is open in Odisha as former Naveen Patnaik-led BJD is often perceived to be “soft” towards the BJP. During the recent voting on the contentious Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha, some of the BJD members had voted in favour the bill. This led to revolt within the party as some members felt that there was no cohesive policy in the party.
This has provided the Congress with an opportunity to grab the political space by taking on the BJP more aggressively. Recently it even organised a yatra on the issue of women's safety in the state. There is even concern within the BJD that Congress's aggressive posturing on the streets cede the political space to the party. How well the Congress plays its card in the eastern state and builds its organisation from the grassroots would determine its growth.
