Lack of funds has hit the Congress hard.

Congress candidate for Puri Lok Sabha Sucharita Mohanty returned the party ticket saying that lack of funding from the party forced her to withdraw from the electoral fray.

She has also accused the party of not heeding her advice to change weak candidates in a few Assembly segments under the Puri Lok Sabha constituency. However, the party refuted her allegations and said it would announce a new candidate for Puri shortly.

In a letter to AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Mohanty said: “Our campaign in Puri parliamentary constituency has been hit hard because the party denied my funding. AICC Odisha-in-chage Ajoy Kumar categorically asked me to fend for myself.”

In her letter, she said: “I was a salaried professional journalist who entered electoral politics 10 years ago. I have given all I have into my campaign in Puri."

She further said: “I tried a public donation drive to support my campaign for progressive politics without much success so far. I also tried to cut down the projected campaign spending to the minimum.”

Expressing her helplessness, she further said: “I knocked at yours’ and all other doors of our party’s central leadership, urging them to commit necessary party funds for an impactful campaign in Puri Parliament seat — it is clear that only funds crunch is holding us back from a winning campaign in Puri.”

Mohanty contested the Puri Lok Sabha seat in 2014.

“Like in 2014, Satta vs Janata election, the people are all set to throw out the corrupt and scamsters ruling parties, the BJP and the BJD and vote for five nyays (justices) — Bhagidari Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Nari Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Yuva Nyay) and 25 guarantees of the Congress party. It is clear that only funds crunch is holding us back from a winning campaign in Puri,” Mohanty said.

“I regret that without party funding, it won’t be possible to carry out campaign in Puri. I, therefore, return the INC ticket for the Puri parliamentary constituency herewith."

Later she told reporters: "I had asked for change of some weak candidates. I asked for better candidates that also did not happen. Our state leadership and the central leadership have decided to give me the ticket because they thought my winnability was better than other candidates.

She said: “The situation is different this time. The BJP government has put all kinds of curbs and restrictions. The party is under pressure. The BJP government does not want the Congress to put up a good campaign and win.”

She said: “I started a donation drive on my social media. I knocked on all doors to sustain my campaign. It did not happen that way. It's not easy.”

Kumar said: “We have decided to field a new candidate. One should talk of funds only after hitting the election campaign.”