Odisha Panchayat Election

Baijayant also asked the party workers to make people aware how the State government is trying to hijack various schemes by the Union government

As many as two government school teachers at Asanpur Panchayat in Jajpur district set aside the rules of the State Election Commission (SEC) recently to take part in the campaigning

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders who have been enjoying power in Odisha since 22 years are drawing flak from people while campaigning for their candidates for the forthcoming Panchayat elections.

In last 4-years, this is PM Modi's third praise for Naveen. The earlier extols were timely. Modi could have avoided this when BJP-BJD are at daggers drawn in rural land. But...

Manoj Sethi went out of his home on Tuesday afternoon and did not return. Suspecting foul play by rival candidates, Sethi’s family members lodged a missing complaint at the Chhendipada Police station.

The running of so many candidates have not only made the door-to-door campaigning an intense affair for the voters, some also feel that people will ultimately get confused in casting their votes.

Studies show the scale of tilt in the elections is decided by the B-factor, which means the number of beneficiaries who have availed of the scheme on a real-term basis  

In a letter to all principal secretaries, heads of departments and all district Collectors, the Panchayati Raj and DW Department has asked to grant Special Casual Leave to employees who desire to vote at places away from their headquarters on the date of the poll.

The Congress which is pushed to the third position in Odisha politics will utilise its leaders from the neighboring Chhattisgarh to campaign for its candidates for the three-tire rural body elections.

In the viral video, a BJD leader is purportedly seen pulling out some cash from his pocket and distributing among people gathered around.   

Believe it or not, Odisha's Buthipadar villagers came forward to help a candidate contesting the Panchayat polls, ostensibly to see him victorious

The SEC has announced that candidates can conduct door-to-door campaigning with a maximum of 20 persons. Earlier, only five persons were allowed to accompany contestants in the door-to-door campaign.

The issue of alleged non-lifting of parboiled rice from Odisha also echoed in the Rajya Sabha recently with BJD MPs demanding the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to lift the surplus rice at the earliest.

The Odisha State Election Commission (SEC) has come under intense backlash from the BJP for allegedly showing favour to the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ahead of the elections to various Panchayat Raj institutions and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the State.

Senior BJP leaders of the likes of Dharmendra Pradhan, Baijayant Panda and Sambit Patra who have been vested with the responsibility of other states in the country by the party are finding it difficult to physically campaign for the upcoming Panchayat polls in their home state.

Reality checks show the zero hour BJD uprisings is to shift the blame on the Centre over the flip-flops in PMAY and rice procurement

In a memorandum to DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal, the BJP alleged that the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) resorts to violence and creates tension to influence voters whenever elections come. 

Maoist posters have appeared in the Swabhiman Anchal under Chitrakonda block of Malkangiri district demanding the candidates and people of the region to keep themselves away from the panchayat polls.

The BJP which has decided to go all digital in its campaign in an effort to reach out to more people in the short time, will launch its star campaigners at different places of the State for the purpose.

Subhasish Giri, a supporter of the BJP was allegedly murdered in Zilla Parishad Zone No-28 of Bhadrak district.

Keeping the rising case of Covid-19 in the State in mind, the Odisha State Election Commission has already laid down a set of guidelines to be followed during the Panchayat elections.

It is not just about male candidates. Several female candidates also have chipped in for different positions in the Panchayat elections.

BJD's Zilla Parishad (ZP) member candidate Ranjan Sahoo, Zone 5's ZP member Balabhadra Lenka, local Sarpanch and Samiti member candidate were among others present at the event.

Durgamani Jena who has filed her nomination for Samiti Member post from Kusuda panchayat is trying to win the confidence of the voters with a kettle in her hand. 

A model and former Miss Photogenic, Priyanka is looking to make a seamless transition from the world of glamour to grass roots politics and rural development.