Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan has decided to carry out a series of padyatras in different regions of the State to revive the party at the grassroots level.
The series of padyatras will begin with the one in which Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will take part during his two-day visit to Odisha next month.
At least seven padyatras will be organised in different phases over a period of one year to revitalise the party and rejuvenate the party workers at the booth level, Mr. Harichandan told The Hindu on Friday.
A proposal in this regard, which has the approval of the party high command, was formally passed at the newly-reconstituted State executive committee held at the Congress Bhavan here on Wednesday evening.
Another senior party leader said that the padyatras will be carried out to widen the party’s reach and connect with people’s organisations and the people at large to rebuild the party’s strength ahead of the 2017-panchayat elections.
The Congress, the main opposition party in Odisha, is fighting the ruling BJD and opposition BJP.
Prasanta Patnaik