Ashutosh Mishra

Bhubaneswar: If the BJP really aspires to emerge as the alternative to the Biju  Janata  Dal  ( BJD ) in Odisha it has to perform well in all parts of the state in these elections....

Bhubaneswar: Polling in Odisha is going to be held in four phases perhaps for the first time in its electoral history. The decision of the Election Commission, which apparently favoured staggering the polls in the...

Bhubaneswar: Congress seems to have shot itself in the foot in Odisha. The main opposition party of the state, which has ruled Odisha for the longest period, seems to be conceding political space to the...

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister, Naveen Patnaik seems to be fighting the toughest battle of his entire political career in these elections which would be the true test of his popularity with anti-incumbency factor visible across the...

Bhubaneswar: The old adage ‘the more things change the more they remain the same,’ seems quite applicable in the case of Congress in Odisha. The appointment of veteran, Niranjan  Patnaik as the Pradesh Congress Committee...

Bhubaneswar: The Maoist attack in Chhatisgarh’s Dantewada that killed a BJP MLA on the campaign trail and four members of his security detail comes as proof that Red terror looms large over these elections. A...

Bhubaneswar: Elections in a democratic country like India are about people exercising their franchise freely. This pre-supposes an atmosphere in which people, cutting across classes, do not find their freedom curbed by restrictive circumstances. This...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Chief minister, Naveen Patnaik collected a lot of brownie points by allotting 33 percent of Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) Lok Sabha tickets to women. Though he failed to accommodate women in...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Unfortunate as it may seem important local issues appear to have taken a back seat in this election which is primarily being seen as an image clash between Prime Minister, Narendra...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: “ Uparmein Modi, neechemein Naveen.” Literally translated it means Modi above and Naveen below. But laterally read it is an expression of intent to vote for Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s (or...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s reported statement to a national TV channel that his party would support the political combination at the Centre that can best safeguard Odisha’s interests is an indication...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: In Sundergarh, part of Odisha’s tribal heartland, the “adivasis”, as the scheduled caste members are known in the local parlance, are still far from being a part of the decision making...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Former union minister, Dilip Ray had quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and also his membership of the state assembly from Rourkela a few months ago apparently angry over the non-fulfilment...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: On the eve of the elections, chief minister Naveen Patnaik had declared that the demand for special category status to Odisha would be a major poll issue. His party, the Biju...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: In the cacophonous campaign of political parties marked by mutual recrimination environmental issues often get lost during the elections. It is no different this time. Hardly any party is raising any...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Considering that Odisha’s economy is still primarily an agricultural economy issues relating to farmers should have taken the centre-stage in this election. But the only such issue being highlighted by the...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Ironical as it may seem neither chit fund nor the mining scam has emerged as a major issue in these elections in Odisha where the last phase voting will take place...

Bhubaneswar: During my recent visit to Sundergarh district for election coverage I took the opportunity to have a look at the famous Khandadhar waterfall located close to Bonai town. Though I was brought up in...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Rivers, creeks and prawn enclosures dot the rural landscape as one moves beyond Rajnagar towards Talchua in Kendrapara district. A sizeable section of the local populace consists of Bengali settlers who...

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Major newspapers in state today have carried full page advertisements of ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) telling people that Odisha is going to play a major role in the formation of...