Naveen Pattnaik

BJD delegation meets central govt officials over AP's Polavaram project

A delegation of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has met top officials of ministries of environment and tribal affairs in New Delhi and apprised them of adverse impacts of Andhra Pradesh's Polavaram irrigation project on livelihood, land and interest of indigenous people in Odisha's Malkangiri district, the party said on Thursday. The team met the central officials on Wednesday. The BJD delegation, led by senior leader and former minister Debi Prasad Mishra, had also met Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil in the national capital on Tuesday and apprised him of the potential of submergence of large areas in Malkangiri due to the construction of the multi-purpose project in the neighbouring state. The team met Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Leena Nandan and submitted a memorandum to her, highlighting how the Polavaram project would cause extensive damage to the flora and fauna in tribal-majority Malkangiri district of Odisha. The BJD memorandum said, The Polavaram projec

Odisha govt rejects IAS Sujata R Karthikeyan's leave extension application

The Odisha government has rejected an application of senior IAS officer Sujata R Karthikeyan for extension of child care leave (CCL) and asked her to join the duty, an official said on Wednesday. Karthikeyan is the wife of V K Pandian who was a close aide of former chief minister Naveen Patnaik. The General Administration and Public Grievance department through a letter on Tuesday informed Karthikeyan to join duty on Wednesday as her application for an extension of child care leave has not been accepted by the government, the official said. "I am directed to invite a reference to your letter of dated 04.11.2024 (sanction of extension of CCL for six months from November 27) and say that after careful consideration, your leave application for extension of CCL is not acceded to. You are, therefore, requested to join on 27.11.2024 i.e. after availing of the CCL from 31.05.2024 to 26.11.2024," said letter issued by Manoj Mohanty, additional secretary, General Administration and Public .

Odisha Assembly adjourned amid uproar over mango kernel deaths

The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday was adjourned for about an hour as opposition BJD and Congress members shouted slogans over the death of three tribal women by eating mango kernel gruel allegedly due to lack of foodgrain. As soon as the House made obituary reference to six ex-members, Speaker Surama Padhy allowed Question House. However, the BJD and Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House and protested the death of tribal women in Kandhamal district. The members raised slogans against the Mohan Charan Majhi government accusing it of failing to streamline public distribution system for which the people at Mandipanka village in Kandhamal district faced food scarcity leading to the death of three tribal women. As the din continued in the well of the House, the Speaker adjourned the proceeding till 12.25 pm. Earlier, Leader of the House and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi moved an obituary reference and the House paid tribute to six of its ex-members. The obituary reference wa

Can Naveen Patnaik's BJD make a comeback in Odisha? It's a tricky course

With a 40.22% vote share in Assembly polls, it remains Odisha's preeminent party but is untested in the Opposition space

Who is Mohan Charan Majhi? Key details about Odisha's 15th Chief Minister

Replacing former BJD CM Naveen Patnaik, Mohan Majhi was named the Chief Minister of Odisha after BJP swept the 2024 Assembly polls in Odisha

BJP leader Mohan Charan Majhi takes oath as Chief Minister of Odisha

Four-time MLA and tribal leader Mohan Charan Majhi was on Wednesday sworn in as the first BJP chief minister of Odisha at a ceremony here attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers and chief ministers. Senior BJP leader and Patnagarh MLA KV Singh Deo and debutant from Nimapara assembly segment Pravati Parida took oath as deputy chief ministers. Governor Rabghubar Das administered the oath of secrecy and office to them at Janata Maidan. This is the first time that a BJP government has been formed in the eastern state. Apart from Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Bhupender Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram, Ashwini Vaishnaw and others attended the ceremony. Several chief ministers of BJP-ruled states including Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were also present. Odisha's outgoing chief minister Naveen Patnaik also attended the ceremony. BJP for the first time got a

Naveen Patnaik's close aide Pandian quits politics after BJD's defeat

VK Pandian announced his withdrawal from politics following Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) defeat in the Odisha state Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 2024

'Pandian not my successor, people of Odisha to decide': Naveen Patnaik

The Biju Janata Dal suffered a defeat in the Odisha assembly polls at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party, putting an end to the 24-year-old reign of Naveen Patnaik

Naveen Patnaik resigns as CM day after BJP wins Odisha Assembly elections

Naveen Patnaik's resignation comes after his party, BJD, managed to secure only about 50 seats, falling significantly short of the majority mark of 74 seats in the 147-member Assembly

Odisha election result 2024: BJP crosses majority mark, BJD trails behind

In Odisha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has surpassed the halfway mark, while the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Naveen Patnaik is currently trailing

Odisha Assembly polls: BJP challenges Naveen Patnaik's BJD in tight race

The BJP is leading in 73 seats in Odisha, followed by Patnaik-Biju Janata Dal at 50 seats and Congress is leading in 13 seats, shows the trend on Election Commission website available for 138 seats

2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly elections: Here's all you need to know

As voting is currently underway in the fourth phase of the Odisha Assembly polls 2024, here's a quick look at the assembly seats, polling dates and key candidates

EC orders action against Nandighosha TV for telecasting exit poll results

The 2024 Indian general election in Odisha is being held in four phases to elect 21 members of the 18th Lok Sabha

Lord Jagannath remark: Why Sambit Patra is seeking atonement with 'upvaas'

BJP's Sambit Patra caused uproar by suggesting Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi. Patra apologised, vowing to observe fasting as penance amidst ongoing elections

LS polls 2024 phase 5: Odisha records over 35% voter turnout till 11 am

Odisha recorded around 6.99 per cent voter turnout in the first two hours of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 Assembly segments on Monday, officials said. Voting started at 7 am in Aska, Kandhamal, Bargarh, Bolangir and Sundergarh parliamentary constituencies along with 35 assembly segments within the jurisdiction of these Lok Sabha seats. Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha. Police said there was no report of any untoward incident in any polling booths Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer N B Dhal Monday said that the voting was underway in all the 9,162 polling stations across peacefully in five Parliamentary Constituencies and 35 assembly segments under their jurisdiction with some reports of EVM glitches. Till 9 am around 6.99 per cent of the over 79.69 lakh voters have exercised their franchise, officials said. Officials said EVM glitches were reported from Sundergarh Lok Sabha constituency and they were addressed immediately.

BJP won't be able to win Odisha in next 10 years: Patnaik takes on PM Modi

Asserting that the BJP would not be able to win Odisha in the next 10 years, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday claimed his BJD would return to power for the sixth consecutive time after the assembly elections. Patnaik was reacting to PM Narendra Modi telling an election rally earlier in the day that the swearing-in ceremony of a "BJP chief minister" will be held in Bhubaneswar on June 10. "Nothing will happen on June 10. BJP will not be able to win the hearts of the people in the next 10 years, forget about June 10," the chief minister said, maintaining that the BJD will form the government in Odisha for the sixth consecutive time. He also questioned why Biju Patnaik was not being considered for Bharat Ratna. "There are so many brave sons of Odisha, a few of whom you spoke about today. Don't any of them, including Biju Patnaik, deserve the Bharat Ratna?" Patnaik asked, noting that the Centre has given the honour to several persons recently. He said the people of Odisha ...

PM Modi, Odisha CM Patnaik two sides of same coin, says Jairam Ramesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik are "two sides of the same coin", Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday, accusing the BJP and the BJD of being "in cahoots" with each other. Modi is on a two-day poll campaign tour of Odisha and will address three rallies in the state on Saturday. Lok Sabha and assembly elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha. Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Ramesh said the Odisha party has bailed out the Modi government on a number of occasions in Parliament. "Na-veen and Na-rendra are two sides of the same coin. Why is the PM lying about his party's 'relationship status' with the BJD?" Ramesh said in a statement which he shared on X. He said the seat-sharing talks between the BJP and the BJD earlier this year only confirmed what was already known. "Despite officially claiming to be in opposition, the two parties are in cahoots with each other," Ramesh ...

LS polls: Odisha people fed up with corruption, misrule by BJD, says BJP

The BJP on Tuesday claimed that the party will form a government in Odisha in June after the announcement of assembly election results as the people in the state are fed up with "corruption and misrule" by the ruling BJD. At a press conference here, BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda highlighted the key promises made by the saffron party in its manifesto for the state and claimed that Odisha witnessed "rampant corruption in the form of PC (percentage commission) during the BJD rule". Panda's comment comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called himself "son of Lord Jagannath" and asserted that the expiry date of the BJD government in Odisha is June 4, the day the assembly election results will be announced. Odisha would have become the 5th largest economy in the country with its enormous resources in the last 25 years, but the ruling BJD has completely failed to perform, Panda alleged. Panda, who is contesting from Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat as a BJP ...

LS polls: Opposition remembers people only during elections, says Patnaik

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday alleged that his opponents remember the people of the state only during elections and have no sincerity towards them. Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Bhawanipatna and Khariar in the Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency, Patnaik claimed that they disappeared after the elections. "Leaders of the opposition party tell lies to the people and shed crocodile tears during elections. They are only seen during elections and then they disappear," he said. He asked the people if his government's social welfare schemes were helping them, to which they responded with a loud "yes". Urging the people to vote for candidates of his party in the twin polls, he said, "Please bless Naveen Patnaik and vote twice on the conch symbol, one for the MP and another for the MLA." The chief minister was accompanied by his close aide VK Pandian, who claimed that Patnaik will take oath as the chief minister for the sixth time on June 9. He also criticised

PM Modi runs govt for billionaires, Patnaik for select few: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that while PM Narendra Modi runs a government for billionaires from Delhi, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik leads a dispensation that works for "select people" in Odisha. Addressing an election rally in Cuttack's Salepur, Gandhi claimed that though the BJD and BJP were fighting the electoral battle against each other, in reality, they were working together. "Call it a partnership or marriage, both BJD and BJP are together," he claimed. Taking a dig at Patnaik, Gandhi said that though he was the chief minister, the BJD government in the state was being run by his aide VK Pandian. In an apparent reference to PM Modi, Gandhi said, "Uncle-ji and Naveen-babu have given Odisha PAANN, meaning Pandian, Amit Shah, Narendra Modi, Naveen Patnaik. They have looted your wealth.