Panchayat elections: B K Hariprasad quits as Congress general secretary

BHUBANESWAR: A day after B K Hariprasad quit as Congress general secretary owning moral responsibility for the party's debacle in the panchayat election in the state, many leaders on Tuesday revolted against Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan, demanding that he should follow suit.
Announcing his resignation on Monday, Hariprasad, in-charge of Odisha as AICC general secretary, had said: "We were summarily defeated in the panchayat election.I own moral responsibility. I have submitted a detailed report to the party leadership."
Welcoming Hariprasad's resignation, Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati said on Tuesday: "Hariprasad should have resigned when the party fared badly in the 2014 Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha. But better late than never."
Bahinipati said the OPCC chief should also resign on the same ground. "We were almost wiped out in the panchayat election. Harichandan, as OPCC chief, owes an explanation. He should quit," Bahinipati told reporters here.
The Congress won 60 zilla parishad seats this time, less than half of its 128 tally in 2012 and was relegated to third position, leaving the principal opposition space to the BJP.
Senior Congress leader Anant Sethi said: "Had I been in Harichandan's place, I would have resigned long ago."
Instead of responding to the issue directly, leader of opposition in the assembly, Narasingha Mishra, said: "Whether a leader should resign after poor show in an election is his/her personal decision. However, the party should take corrective action."