Ganeswar Behera made Odisha Congress poll manifesto committee

Ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections, the Congress highcommand on Thursday appointed former minister Ganeswar Behera as the chairman of the party's poll manifesto committee of Odisha, a party statement said.

Behera, who is from the scheduled caste community, is also the vice-president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPPCC).

Bismaya Mahapatra has been appointed as the Convenor of the panel.

Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra, former OPCC president Prasad Harichandan and six others have been appointed as members of the committee, the statement issued by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Ashok Gehlot said.

OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik in a twitter message congratulated the new members of the committee.

"Congratulations to all the newly appointed members of the Manifesto Committee for Odisha Vidhan Sabha Elections, 2019. Let's work together to give the people the best manifesto which will capture the vision of the Congress party for a new glorious Odisha," Patnaik tweeted.

In another development, former Congress MLA Chakradhar Paika Thursday joined the ruling BJD at the residence of Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik.