Opinion News Updates

Bhubaneswar: Candidate selection is invariably an invidious exercise in any political party at the time of elections. But the wave of discontent currently sweeping the three major parties of the state over the issue is perhaps unprecedented. There have been wholesale resignations from the ruling BJD with most of these leaders joining the BJP which, […]

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. The focus, however, would be on how it fares in coastal and western Odisha, the regions that have been dominating […]

“Who does he think he is fooling? We are watching him on TV on a daily basis. We had seen him with our own eyes when he was here last – to inaugurate the beautified Kusuma pond. He could barely walk without help. Who will believe this video?” No, this is not the reaction of […]

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 (PCC)  president before the announcement of elections was supposed to rejuvenate the party in the state. The move had enthused […]

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 implies, among other things, freedom from hunger and guaranteed employment. Our democracy is yet to become mature enough to guarantee […]

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 the same ratio on the assembly seats the move is still being hailed as a game changer. The ground reality, […]

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 Modi and chief minister, Naveen Patnaik. If Patnaik is the champion of Odia pride and the messiah of the poor […]

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 BJP’s) candidates for the Lok Sabha and chief minister, Naveen Patnaik’s ( or Biju Janata Dal’s) candidates for the state […]

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 that he wants to keep his options open. This election, unlike the past one, is going to be difficult for […]

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 process. Their participation in the elections and voting is, by and large, controlled by a handful of community leaders who […]

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 of the two promises Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had made to the people of Odisha’s steel city during the 2014 […]

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 Janata Dal (BJD), had also sought to highlight state’s dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh over the sharing of Mahanadi waters in […]

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 environment-related issue of consequence. Interestingly, a few days ago chief minister, Naveen Patnaik sought to bring Chilika, Asia’s largest brackish […]

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 ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is the Centre’s failure to raise the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy. The party […]

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 Rourkela, which I still call my city, I had never seen this waterfall before. It was a mesmerising sight with […]