News from Odisha

With just 8 days left for nomination filing for the first phase of elections in which 28 Assembly Constituencies will go to polls, the BJD, the BJP and the Congress have not yet announced candidates in four, nine and five seats respectively. 

As the administration has allegedly failed to take action against the sand mafia, the villagers staged a road blockade, paralyzing sand transportation.

Odisha Congress arguably seems to be in a quandary over candidate selection for the Jatani Assembly seat as veteran leader and sitting MLA Suresh Routray and his nephew Sangram Routray are locked in a war of words. 

The last time such a disturbing scene was witnessed along the Puri beach was in June 2022.

The statements of Congress leader and Kantabanji Legislative Assembly seat candidate Santosh Singh Saluja's supporters have created ripples in Kantabanji politics. 

As soon as the BJP stalwart reached Bilikana in Aul, thousands of party workers accorded him a rousing welcome. He discussed electoral strategies with Krushnachandra Panda, BJP’s MLA candidate for the Aul seat, other frontline leaders and party workers.  

The former MP asserted that the BJP will fare well while the BJD’s results will be disappointing in the upcoming elections in the district. "If you plant an imported leader in the LS seat and that too when the party has got negative feedback about its poll prospects, will people accept it?" he asked.

The Rourkela Assembly seat is likely to witness a high-octane fight as BJD has nominated Dilip Ray’s arch-rival, Sarada Nayak.

The Congress so far has been able to declare candidates for 49 Assembly seats out of 147 and 8 Lok Sabha seats out of a total 21 seats in Odisha.

The BJP alleged that the government has sanctioned over Rs 500 crore of the tribal welfare development department to an NGO despite the model code of conduct being in force. The party leaders met the CEO and furnished pictorial evidence of the ASHAs and Anganwadi workers engaged in partisan activities. 

Protesting against the party nominating Smrutirekha Pahi for Dharmasala Assembly seat, supporters of BJP leader Himanshu Sekhar Sahu demanded the ticket for him.

The district administration appealed to the people to abide by the decision taken to ensure peace and harmony during the Hanuman Jayanti celebration.        

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday predicted that North-westerly winds are prevailing over the state at the lower level. Moreover, there will be a gradual rise in the maximum temperature (Day Temperature) in Odisha.

As per the allegation by the flat owners, gold ornaments and net cash amounting to lakhs of rupees have been looted from their houses.

With no other option, the contractor locked the school gate as a mark of protest.