'No help from party'; Congress candidate from Puri returns ticket

BHUBANESWAR: The Congress candidate from Odisha's Puri constituency has decided to opt out of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Sucharita Mohanty, the candidate from Puri, wrote to AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal about her decision citing insufficient campaign funds to progress with the election.

Sucharita complained about not getting any funds from the party.

“I am not able to find funds on my own. Hence, we requested the party to release the money. When my efforts failed, I decided to withdraw from the competition. Proper funds are essential to drive forward an impactful campaign. There is no point in campaigning otherwise" she said.

Sucharita tried to raise money through crowdfunding. UPI QR code was shared through her social media but the efforts failed to bring the desired results. Polling will be held in Puri on May 25. Monday is the last date for submission of nomination papers. Sucharita had not submitted nomination papers. BJP's Sambit Patra and BJD's Arup Patnaik are the other candidates from Puri.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Sucharita lost to Pinaki Mishra of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Mishra polled 5,23,161 votes while Sucharita trailed behind with 2,89,800 votes.