Former Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan on Thursday announced that he would not contest the 2024 elections as there has been a deliberate slander campaign against him in a section of media and political circle despite his best efforts to work for betterment of the Congress.

The three-time Satyabadi MLA broke down at his Press conference here while clarifying his position over the recent rumour of his joining the BJD, making a deal with BJD and knowingly abstaining from coordinating  panchyat polls in his constituency Satyabadi.

“I shall continue in the Congress come what may. I was in politics; I am in politics and I will continue to be in politics even with renewed vigour. I will continue to fight for people and interest of the State,” he said.

Obviously referring to PCC president Niranjan Patnaik, Harichandan, a former Minister of State for Home, said he has never been a businessman nor has he mines or a newspaper; so, there is no question of making a deal with anybody, the State Government or the Central Government to protect his business.

He dared his detractors and even challenged anybody from BJD or BJP to tell that he is having a nexus with anybody. “If anybody proves it, I will leave politics forever,” Harichandan said.

He said the issuing of tickets for party candidates for the panchayat election in the Satyabadi area was the organisational responsibility of the PCC president. “The tickets reached me at the last moment. I said I was not in charge for this. Then, the PCC issued only one ticket for one candidate. The mess was created by the PCC and not me,” he said.