Bhubaneswar: Political aspirations of Ananta Narayan Dhal, a controversial jatra troupe owner, were stonewalled as he was forced to return red-faced amid high drama at Congress Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

According to sources, Dhal, popular as Nandu Babu, arrived at the Congress office in Master Canteen around 11 am with over 1,000 supporters, expecting a warm welcome. Instead, he found the gates locked, as a faction within the Congress opposed his entry. ADVERTISEMENT

Though Dhal asserted that Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das had approved his induction, the latter, who was away in Nuapada, denied these claims. “I had a conversation with Bhakta Das, who invited me to the Congress Bhawan for an induction ceremony. Instead, we were met with humiliation

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