'Denied funds': Congress's Sucharita Mohanty returns Puri ticket
Sucharita Mohanty, the Congress Party's nominee for the Puri Lok Sabha seat, has returned her ticket due to a lack of campaign funds. She said that, despite launching a public donation drive and implementing cost-cutting measures, she found it financially challenging to maintain an effective campaign. "I was denied funds from the party. The BJP and BJD are sitting on a mountain of money....A vulgar display of wealth is everywhere. I don't want to compete that way," she said.
Mohanty's appeal to party leadership unanswered
In a letter to Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, Mohanty said her campaign in Puri has been "hit hard because the party has denied me funding." She alleged that Ajoy Kumar, the state's Congress chief, had explicitly instructed her to manage her finances independently. Moreover, when Mohanty appealed to the party's central leadership for assistance, she found no support there either.
I gave all into my campaign in Puri: Mohanty
"I was a salaried, professional journalist who entered electoral politics 10 years ago. I have given all I have into my campaign in Puri," Mohanty wrote. "I wanted a people-oriented campaign, but that was also not possible with the lack of funds. The party is also not responsible. The BJP government has crippled the party. There are a lot of curbs on expenditure. I got responses. They want change," she added.
Mohanty criticizes party's funding disparity
Mohanty also said that the only fund crunch is holding the party back from a winning campaign in Puri. "I regret without party funding, it won't be possible to carry out the campaign... I, therefore return the INC ticket for the Puri parliamentary constituency," the letter concluded. The Lok Sabha elections in Odisha will take place in four phases: May 13, 20, 25, and June 1.
Party will discuss the issue with the high command: Report
According to the Indian Express, the party would discuss the matter with the top brass. The deadline for filing nominations in Odisha is May 6. The setback in Puri comes days after the party's nominee for Indore, Akshaya Kanti Bam, withdrew his nomination and joined the BJP. Before that, Nilesh Kumbhani, the Congress candidate for Surat, lost his candidacy due to discrepancies, resulting in the uncontested victory of the BJP's Mukesh Dalal last month.
