Bhubaneswar, Aug 14 : Congress General Secretary K.C Venugopal on Wednesday said that the All India Congress Committee has constituted a steering committee for Odisha.





'Hon'ble Congress President has approved the constitution of a Steering Committee for Odisha,' said Venugopal.



The AICC Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar has been appointed as the chairman of the steering committee while AICC secretary Mohd. Shahnawaz Choudhary will act as the convener.



The committee has 14 members including the chairman and convenor.



The steering committee includes Former Union Minister and senior leader Srikant Jena, MLA Rama Chandra Kadam, Koraput MP Saptagiri S. Ulaka, former president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, Jaydev Jena, ex-Cuttack MLA Mohd Moquim, Ex-MP Bhakta Charan Das, Balabhadra Majhi, Anant Prasad Sethi, Debashish Patnaik, Sashmita Behera, and Biswaranjan Mohanty.



The Congress had earlier on July 21 dissolved the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee and dismissed all state office-bearers including the OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak following the party's dismal performance in the state in the recently concluded general elections to the Lok Sabha and Odisha Vidhan Sabha.



Similarly, all district committees, block and mandal committees of the party were also dissolved by the AICC.



The party is yet to announce the names of new officer bearers and president of OPCC.



In another major boost to the party, senior leader Ram Jatan Sinha rejoined the Congress on Wednesday during a ceremony held at the party's headquarters in New Delhi.



Sinha was welcomed into the party by Congress Working Committee member Nasir Hussain, Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera, and Bihar Congress President Akhilesh Prasad Singh.



Pawan Khera expressed his pleasure at Sinha's return, saying, 'Sinha needs no introduction. He has been a senior Congress leader for a long time. I am very happy to welcome him, and it is my good fortune that I am present on this occasion.'



/IANS