By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Thanks to Mission Shakti women self-help group (SHG) movement in Odisha has been scaling newer heights. From running mid-day meal kitchens to manufacturing traditional handicrafts they have given women from the poor background a dignified means of livelihood and, more importantly, a purpose in life. The election of Pramila Bisoi, the […]
Bhubaneswar: If it can be termed so, it could be a very costly oversight, as 3 lakh ineligible beneficiaries have been identified in the KALIA scheme and Odisha government has already disbursed a whopping Rs 150 crore to them under the scheme. In Bhadrak’s Basudevpur block, out of 28,714 farmers who received cash assistance under […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Against a target of 120 plus set by BJP president, Amit Shah the party has managed to win to just 23 assembly seats in Odisha. But party leaders remain upbeat about BJP’s prospects in the state where they see tremendous potential for growth. In fact, a section of them think that […]
Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Will BJP be able to make a battle of it in Patkura? The question has become extremely relevant with by-poll dates announced and three major parties in the fray chalking out their strategies. The by-poll has to be seen in the context of ruling Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) comprehensive victory in the […]
New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: In a major development today, the Supreme Court has served notice to the Centre, Chief Election Commissioner, Odisha, Andhra and Telangana governments based on a petition filed by one P Pulla Rao of Telangana. The notice was reportedly issued acting on the petition questioning the constitutional validity of announcement and implementation of direct […]
Bhubaneswar: With constitutional grey areas galore in the norms governing the election to the office of Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha, the curiosity quotient in Odisha attained its zenith when CM Naveen met PM Modi in New Delhi in the backdrop of hard speculation over the post being offered to veteran BJD leader Bhartruhari […]
Bhubaneswar: It’s an important meet for political observers here. All eyes were focussed on the first ever frame of CM Naveen – PM Modi meet in New Delhi today, especially post the high-profile duel during the 2019 elections in Odisha, when both the generals leading their respective armies prophesied each other’s waterloo. However, the Election […]
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has formed six teams to analyse and find out the reasons behind Congress’ poll debacle in the recently concluded 2019 election. After the first meeting of Odisha Congress’ fact-finding team held here on Saturday, party MLA Narasingha Mishra said that the post-mortem report of the party’s poll debacle will […]
Bhubaneswar: Following resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from Bijepur Assembly seat on Sunday, Odisha BJP Vice President Samir Mohanty strongly criticised the decision of the CM while claiming that Patnaik has failed the people of Bijepur and West Odisha. Mohanty said, “Mission Western Odisha has failed. The people urged him to contest from there […]
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday made it clear that there were no ghost voters during the recently held Lok Sabha polls as the provisional voter turnout data reported on the EC website is only the tentative number of voters. “The provisional voter turnout data reported on EC website is only the tentative number […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Ruling Biju Janata Dal’s lacklustre Lok Sabha performance in western Odisha seems to have rattled chief minister, Naveen Patnaik. The clever politician that he is he has taken immediate corrective measures, one of these being the inclusion of as many as six leaders from the region in his new ministry. Among […]
New Delhi: Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to include him in the new cabinet, citing his health issues. “During the last 18 months, I have had some serious health challenges. My doctors have enabled me to emerge out of most of them,” Jaitley said in a letter […]
Bhubaneswar: Despite the landslide victory of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha, the party lost several Lok Sabha and Assembly seats triggering a blame game within the regional party. So to review the party’s drubbing in the polls, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik sought a report following which the party leaders from across the State […]
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who won the state Assembly election for the fifth consecutive time, on Sunday said politics is not complicated when people and their welfare are kept in the forefront. “People ask me often what is the secret of the BJD’s continuous success and I always tell them these two points […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The most heartening aspect of 2019 verdict has been the near complete rejection of dynastic politics by the electorate. Nothing proves this better than the defeat of Congress president, Rahul Gandhi from the family borough of Amethi. He had inherited the seat from his father and former Prime Minister, Rajeev Gandhi […]
Bhubaneswar: In a queer twist, the game-plan of CM Naveen Patnaik and BJD strategists to pit a record number of Rajya Sabha (RS) members in the 2019 polls seems proving counterproductive for the party. What bothers the party strategists is the united opposition now has the numbers to wrest a RS seat from BJD, courtesy […]
Bhubaneswar: It seems dynasty politics in Odisha was outrightly rejected by voters in the recently concluded general elections as they gave thumbs down to many duos of political families who were in the poll fray. While Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik faced defeat from Ghasipura and Bhandaripokhari assembly constituencies, his son Nabajyoti Patnaik lost from the […]
Bhubaneswar: Odisha is sending 33 per cent women to the Lok Sabha after the just held general elections. Seven women have been elected from the 21 parliamentary seats in the state. While five women won from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), two emerged victorious from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP winners are Aparajita […]
Bhubaneswar: The Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections were held simultaneously, but in many constituencies people have voted in favour of one party in the Parliamentary poll and for another in the state election. Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly constituencies. The Biju Janata Dal won 12 Lok Sabha seats while the […]
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Friday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his election victory and the two leader agreed to meet at the upcoming G-20 summit in Japan. “President Trump congratulated the Prime Minister on the unprecedented electoral victory. The two leaders agreed to meet at the forthcoming […]
Lucknow: In 2014, Uttar Pradesh did not have a single Muslim MP from the state but the scenario has changed this time and the state is sending six Muslims to the Lok Sabha. The Muslim MPs who have been elected include three each from the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The SP MPs […]
Bhubaneswar: When consistency in all departments is the buzzword for a cricket team to emerge as the world champion, the same hard norms are equally indispensable for the political parties on a poll pitch. It’s the lack of this consistency in rival teams of BJD saw how the party under the captaincy of Naveen Patnaik […]
Bhubaneswar: While the BJD and Congress continue to question the reliability of exit polls that have forecast huge gains for the BJP in the number of Parliamentary seats in Odisha, the Republic- Jan Ki Baat Poll projections today once again predicted that the saffron party will cross the double-digit mark. Republic- Jan Ki Baat Poll prediction […]
New Delhi: An estimated 67.11 per cent of the nearly 91 crore electors turned up to cast their vote in this year’s seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, the highest ever turnout recorded in any parliamentary polls in the country. The overall turnout in 2014 was 66.40 per cent. In the 2009 elections, the turnout was pegged […]
By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: As the counting day nears there is growing anxiety among ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders. The question uppermost in their minds is what happens if the party fails to reach the magic figure in the state assembly. On the face of it this a purely hypothetical question but it is […]
[A disclaimer is perhaps in order at the very outset. This columnist has never taken Exit Polls or their findings seriously and has always believed in waiting for the actual results to roll out before trying to make sense of the ‘verdict’. Hence, he would hold his breath till May 23 before drawing any conclusion. […]
As the Sunday evening progresses, one after another exit polls keep playing the same tune ‘phir ek baar Modi sarkar’. Almost all the exit polls telecast today are unanimous on the return of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to power winning a thumping majority of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. CVOTER-IANS […]
Bhubaneswar: The 2019 battle for ballots in Odisha witnessed all the elements of political craft. Political parties across the spectrum tried all tricks, moves and counter moves to short-change their rivals. Significantly also, the 2019 polls seems not a 2014 elections encore. In a first, Odisha saw longest ever poll exercise – votes were taken […]
Bhubaneswar: With less than a week’s time remaining for the verdict Odisha 2019 to be declared on May 23, veteran politician and senior BJP leader Damodar Rout today make a prediction that no political party in the State will attain the magic number of 73 required to form the next government in Odisha. The State […]
New Delhi: Over 43 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 p.m. on Sunday in polling for 59 seats in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, with Jharkhand recording the highest turnout of 55.88 per cent. There were reports of people ransacking a polling booth and holding an official hostage […]
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed confidence that the BJP will again get a full majority on its own in the Lok Sabha elections, and it will be the “first instance of a party getting an absolute majority after a full term”. “My overall thinking is that a full majority government will […]
Bhubaneswar: Amid political speculations on increasing nearness between the BJP and BJD, senior saffron party leader and former minister Damodar Rout on Wednesday created a flutter by claiming that Odisha might witness a hung Assembly in 2019 polls as BJP will win a number of seats. “In the last elections, BJP managed to win only […]
The wooing of Naveen Patnaik has begun in right earnest. With the results of the general elections set to come on May 23, every contender for power at the Centre is understandably keen to have the Odisha Chief Minister on its side to bolster its numbers in the bid for power. As expected, the BJP […]
Kolkata: A Trinamool Congress delegation will meet the Election Commission on Wednesday in the wake of vandalism in college and destruction of Bengali polymath Vidyasagar’s bust during BJP President Amit Shah’s roadshow, according to party officials. “Trinamool Parliamentary team comprising @derekobrienmp, @Sukhendusekhar, Manish Gupta, Nadimul Haque seeks meeting with EC on May 15 in aftermath of […]
Kolkata: A total of 710 companies of the central forces will be deployed for the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal covering nine parliamentary seats on May 19, according to Central Police Observer Vivek Dubey. “The 710 companies will be providing 100 per cent coverage in the state. It will include […]
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking to prepone polling hours from 7 a.m. to 5 a.m. for the remaining phases of the general election. Advocate Mohammad Nizam Pasha moved the apex court seeking a direction for advancing the polling hours on account of commencement of Ramzan and heat wave forecast […]
New Delhi: The sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections, covering 59 seats across seven states, saw a voter turnout of 63.3 per cent which was less than 65.67 per cent recorded in 2014 for the same seats, the Election Commission said on Sunday. The voter turnout was higher in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh and almost […]
New Delhi: A turnout of 60.21 per cent was recorded in elections for Delhi’s seven parliamentary constituencies on Sunday amid reports of EVM malfunctioning in some polling stations, the Election Commission said. The voting in the city, in the penultimate of the seven-phase elections, has sealed the fate of 164 candidates of various political parties […]
New Delhi: Complaints about malfunctioning EVMs poured in from several places of the national capital on Sunday where voting is underway. Adarsh Gupta, a resident of Matia Mahal area, claimed that at polling booth number 84, 85 and 86, electronic voting machines were initially not working in the morning. Aam Aadmi Party’s Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath […]
Varanasi: Heat waves in Uttar Pradesh during the summer usually lead to slump in the flower business. Flowers wilt due to heat and except for marigold that survives in hot weather, florists avoid stocking up on other varieties of flowers. However, with electioneering peaking in the state for the final phases, the demand for flowers, particularly […]