Orissa Communist Party

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The Orissa Communist Party is a political party in the Indian state of Orissa. OCP was formed in the beginning of the 1990s as a splinter-group of Communist Party of India (Marxist). The party is led by Ajay Rout.[1] When the split occurred the dissidents tried to capture the trade union structure of CPI(M) in the mining areas in northern Orissa. This led to violent conflict. But the OCP-ers themselves came from southern Orissa, and they were not able to convince the northern grassroots to follow them. In the end the OCP-ers had to leave the mining areas. Today OCP is more or less defunct. It has good relations with the Indian National Congress, whom gave OCP an office in the state capital Bhubaneshwar.

Radhakanta Sethi, who was elected to the Orissa legislative assembly as a CPI(M)-candidate, joined OCP in 1992 after a period as an independent.[2]

OCP participates in the Confederation of Indian Communists and Democratic Socialists.[3]