Congress expels Odisha ex-MLA Mohammed Moquim over anti-party activities

The expulsion was initiated on a proposal by OPCC President Bhakta Das and subsequently approved by the All India Congress Committee (AICC)

Published on: Dec 15, 2025, 15:17:09 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Congress on Monday expelled former MLA Md Moquim from the party for six years following a letter he wrote to senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi questioning the leadership of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das and raising concerns about the party’s functioning.

The decision was taken after the leadership viewed Moquim’s communication as indiscipline and anti-party conduct. (Mohammed Moquim | Official X account)

The expulsion was initiated on a proposal by OPCC President Bhakta Das and subsequently approved by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

According to leaders aware of the developments, the decision was taken after the leadership viewed Moquim’s communication as indiscipline and anti-party conduct.

In his five-page letter to Gandhi, seen by HT, Moquim questioned Das’s credibility, pointing out that he had lost three consecutive elections. He also cited the Congress’s defeat in the Nuapada Assembly by-election, where the party lost by a margin of over 83,000 votes.

The 59-year-old former MLA, in his letter, had called for major organisational reforms, saying the party required deep structural and ideological changes to regain public trust. He also expressed concern over Congress’s poor performance in the last three Lok Sabha elections and recent assembly polls in several states.

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Defending the expulsion, OPCC media cell chief Arabinda Das issued a strong statement asserting that Moquim’s communication was not intended to reform the party.

“If one would read the five-page letter sent by Md Moquim (to the party high command), then they would see clearly that it was meant to disrupt the party rather than streamline it (as he claimed),” Das said.

“It was clear from the letter that he was furthering the chaos and disorganisation spearheaded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and he clearly meant to disrupt the party. He claimed to be a loyal member of the Congress party, but he insulted its leaders, its state and national chiefs. He was simply inviting expulsion and was completely disinterested in staying with the party,” he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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