Phulbani, January 17, 2026 — The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has announced a major organisational overhaul in Kandhamal district by reconstituting the District Congress Committee (DCC) executive, including appointments of vice-presidents, general secretaries, secretaries, executive members, special invitees, and block/municipal presidents.
The decision, approved by OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das, was formally issued on January 16, 2026, by OPCC administrator Samir Kumar Rautaray. This move is seen as part of the party's broader strategy to revitalise its organisational structure in tribal-dominated Kandhamal, which has historically been a challenging region for Congress amid competition from regional and national parties.
Key Leadership Appointments:
Vice-Presidents: Bijay Kumar Mohanty, Rajat Kumar Mohanty, Pabitra Mohan Pradhan, Sanjukta Kanhar (former Zilla Parishad president), Jirimaya Sunamajhi, and Hemant Kar.
Treasurer: Saroj Kumar Pradhan.
General Secretaries: Basant Kumar Padhi, Nand Kishore Das, Durjyodhan Pattnaik, Santosh Kumar Baxsi, Prabhat Kumar Behera, Thomas Pradhan, Anos Pradhan, and Saroj Behera Majhi.
Secretaries: The expanded list includes Simana Mallick, Saroj Kumar Bhoi, Praveen Kanhar, Pinki Pradhan, Mana Bhanjan Pradhan, Taleswar Kanhar, Maleswar Kanhar, Sansar Bhoi, Purnachandra Digal, Swapnarani Mallick, Pramod Kumar Tripathi, Bipra Behera, Pramod Kumar Digal, Mukteswar Bhoi, Pasak Mallick, Ranjit Kumar Mandal, Deepika Muthamajhi, Dharmaraj Digal, Sarat Pradhan, Karam Singh, Prasanna Gaud, Ananta Kanhar, Sudhir Mallick, and Jitendra Digal.
Executive Members: Prominent figures include sitting MLA Prfulla Chandra Pradhan (G. Udayagiri), former MPs Radhakant Digal and Nakul Nayak, along with Nagarjun Pradhan, Abhimanyu Behera, Jacob Pradhan, Lakshmikant Mallick, Chandrasekhar Behera, Debendra Kanhar, Manoj Acharya, Amirchand Nayak, Upendra Pradhan, Pratibha Kanhar, Anam Nayak, Nrusingha Chandra Satapathy, and Santosh Kumar Pattnaik.
Special Invitees: Pitambar Sahu, Satyaban Patra, Balaram Dora, Prfulla Das, Krishnapriya Pradhan, Madhulina Digal, Paramananda Panda, Simanchal Acharya, Ruda Mallick, and Pinki Kanhar.
Block and Municipal Congress Presidents:
The appointments cover key administrative units in the district:
Ranjit Kumar Behera (Phulbani)
Sukant Behera (Khajuripada)
Kripasindhu Bishoi (Phiringia)
Chandrasekhar Dalbehera (Chakapada)
Anil Kumar Bhoi (Tikabali)
Manmohan Pradhan (G. Udayagiri)
Pratap Chandra Digal (Raikia)
Rabindra Nayak (K. Nuagaon)
Kamaraj Digal (Baliguda)
Shyamsundar Badaseth (Tumudibandha)
Surada Pradhan (Kotagarh)
Jirimaya Pradhan (Daringbadi)
Subhash Chandra Nayak (Phulbani Municipality)
Sagar Singh Nayak (Baliguda NAC)
Subhra Manju Nayak (G. Udayagiri NAC)
Party insiders stated that the new team is designed to consolidate Congress's base in Kandhamal, energise booth-level workers, and prepare for future political battles. The reconstitution reflects OPCC's ongoing efforts to rebuild momentum in Odisha following recent electoral challenges.
This development comes under the leadership of Bhakta Charan Das, who assumed the OPCC presidency in early 2025 to steer organisational revival across the state.
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