Bhubaneswar: I cut my journalistic teeth reporting for a highly respected newspaper–perhaps the best and the most powerful in the country ( it still is)—in undivided Bihar. The state was a political hotbed and you never had a dull moment. In the cauldron politics of the state in those days George Fernandes, the maverick socialist […]
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: 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 on April 29. Only BJP leaders have been talking about these scams but people in general seem indifferent to them. […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Maoist rebels have tried their best to disrupt the ongoing polls. On the eve of voting for the second phase of elections they had shot dead a polling official in Kandhmal. The victim, Sanjukta Digal, was on her way to her designated polling booth when the ultras triggered a blast targeting the […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: One of the biggest casualties of cyclone Fani has been the green cover of the areas hit by it. Destruction of trees in cities like Bhubaneswar and Puri has been massive, making large areas completely bare of any kind of foliage. The capital city, one of the greenest in the country, […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Odisha watchers might be bewildered by the elections results in the state. The BJP has made big gains in the Lok Sabha with its tally set to reach 7 from the 1 it had in 2014. But the voters’ enthusiasm for the party in the Lok Sabha has not been reflected […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: An important aspect of this election in Odisha has been split voting, a phenomenon which has bewildered analysts. That the voters made distinctly different choices for the Lok Sabha and the assembly in many areas is evident from the victory of BJP candidates in eight Lok Sabha constituencies while the party […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: In his fifth innings as the chief minister of the state, Naveen Patnaik seems to have put his best foot forward asking his ministers to submit monthly performance reports with regard to the implementation of Biju Janata Dal’s election promises. The opposition may deride it as a political stunt but it […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The controversy surrounding newly elected Patnagarh MLA, Saroj Meher’s alleged “dabanggiri” with a PWD junior engineer seems to be snowballing. With video clips of Meher, a first time lawmaker of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), forcing the JE to do sit-ups in public for having carried out poor quality of road work […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Despite winning just 23 assembly seats in Odisha the BJP remains determined to pursue its Mission 120 Plus in the state which is crucial to its growth plans in eastern India. Senior party leaders have made it clear that though they are disappointed with the results of assembly elections there is […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: At a time when saving wildlife has become a challenge for the authorities it is heartening to note that blackbucks ( Antilope cervicapra ) have found a safe sanctuary in the Betnai-Balipadar area of Ganjam district with their population growing at a fast clip. During the last census in 2018 officials […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s temple architecture is the most important reminder of its glorious past. Temples with intricate carvings and great miniature works are scattered across the state. Old Bhubaneswar houses some of these architectural marvels located mostly in its narrow lanes and by-lanes. The sad part, however, is that we have utterly failed […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Union environment ministry’s decision to grant a two-year extension for the construction of Polavaram multi-purpose project in Andhra Pradesh comes as an embarrassment for the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government which has been opposing the dam that threatens to submerge several tribal villages in Malkangiri district. The discomfiture of […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The visuals of Dana Majhi, a tribal from Kalahandi, carrying his wife’s body on his shoulders after failing to get a hearse are still fresh in the minds of people. That was 2016 but three years down the line nothing much seems to have changed in the state as far as […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Congress president, Rahul Gandhi has finally made his resignation from the post official. The contents of his resignation letter are on the Twitter for anyone interested to peruse. There are some obvious conclusions to be drawn from the letter. First and foremost it puts a premium on accountability which is a […]
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