BJD

Opposition BJD and Congress members on Saturday walked out of the Odisha Assembly in protest against the cancellation of over eight lakh ration cards of poor people, a charge denied by the state government. The issue was raised in the Assembly through a debate on the admissibility of an adjournment motion moved by BJD chief whip Pramila Mallik, leading to a heated exchange between opposition and treasury benches. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister KC Patra rejected the allegation, saying the state had so far cancelled 8,16,056 ration cards through e-KYC verification. "Of the total cancelled cards, 6,95,530 belonged to deceased persons, 75,030 to government employees, and 45,496 to Income Tax payees. What is wrong in cancelling ineligible cards? he asked, adding that the move saved the state Rs 210 crore in a year. The minister informed the House that the the government had set a target to identify 13.5 lakh new beneficiaries in rural areas and 1.5 lakh in urban areas to is

BJD president and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Friday congratulated BJP candidate Jay Dholakia for his spectacular victory in the Nuapada bypoll and hoped that he would bring development to the area. Dholakia won the Nuapada assembly bypoll in Odisha by 83,748 votes on Friday. The Congress bagged the second spot, while the BJD was relegated to the third position. Patnaik, who campaigned for BJD candidate Snehangini Chhuria, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to every worker and supporter of BJD who stood united and worked tirelessly for the party. "Your commitment and spirit are the true strength of our party," the former chief minister said. "I also extend my congratulations to the BJP candidate on the victory, and I sincerely hope he will honour this mandate by bringing meaningful development to Nuapada," he said in a post on social media. BJP candidate Jay Dholakia, son of late BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, joined the saffron party a few days before the

Senior BJD leader Amar Patnaik joined the ruling BJP in Odisha on Monday. Patnaik, the IT Cell head of the BJD and its spokesperson, switched sides days ahead of the Nuapada by-election on November 11. A former account general, he joined the BJP as BJD president Naveen Patnaik started campaigning for the by-election. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, state BJP president Manmohan Samal and its Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar welcomed him to the party. "I joined the BJP to serve the nation. I quit my government job in 2018 and became an MP in 2019. So far, I have worked for the development of the state, and now the time has come to dedicate myself to the nation," Patnaik said. "Therefore, I think, BJP is the right party to serve the nation," he added.

After keeping himself away from public events for several months due to health issues, opposition BJD president Naveen Patnaik is all set to reappear in public on his 79th birth day on October 16 and join the party's annual Jan Sampark Padyatra. On the day, Odisha's five-time chief minister is scheduled to lead the party's march at Ganga Nagar Palli under Ekamra-Bhubaneswar assembly segment, said BJD's Bhubaneswar district president Ashok Panda. The regional outfit in a statement also appealed to the people to join the BJD's march. During the annual and month-long padyatra programme, the BJD while in power used to highlight the state's welfare schemes among people. Now in Opposition, for the first time, the BJD will highlight the alleged failure of the BJP government, Panda said. Sources said that Patnaik may address the public on the day before walking some steps on the Jan Sampark Padyatra. From the state capital, Patnaik may give some message to the people of Nuapada where the

The BJD's prospective candidate for the Nuapada assembly bypoll, Jay Dholakia, on Saturday joined the ruling BJP in Odisha, in a major setback for the Naveen Patnaik-led party. He is the son of Rajendra Dholakia, the BJD MLA whose death necessitated the by-election in the seat. He joined the BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy CM KV Singh Deo and state BJP president Manmohan Samal at the party's main office in Bhubaneswar. Welcoming him to the party, the CM said, "Jay will complete his father's incomplete works in Nuapada. He decided to join the BJP after witnessing the development works happening in the state." Jay was tipped to be the BJD's candidate for the bypoll, scheduled on November 11. However, his name was not officially announced by the opposition party.

BJD MLAs created ruckus in the Odisha assembly for the third consecutive day on Saturday over alleged fertiliser scarcity across the state, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings till 4 pm. The party MLAs, holding placards and banners highlighting the fertiliser crisis and farmers' distress in the state, trooped into the well of the House and demanded a full-fledged discussion on the issue. Meanwhile, the House made an obituary reference to former MLA George Tirkey, who died on Friday night. The opposition members continued to raise their voices against the state's BJP government and blamed it for the farmers' distress. Unable to run the House, Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm. The BJD members demanded that the Speaker cancel all the business of the House, including Question Hour, and hold a detailed discussion on the alleged fertiliser scarcity in the state. They claimed that the alleged fertiliser scarcity was due to black marketing and hoardin

BJD chief and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital here for dehydration, is now "stable" and likely to be discharged on Monday, a source at the health facility said. Patnaik was admitted to SUM Ultimate Medicare, Bhubaneswar, on Sunday due to dehydration. "Naveen ji is now stable and is likely to be discharged during the day," the hospital source said. The 78-year-old politician has been "responding well" to treatment, and his condition has been "improving", said a bulletin issued by the private hospital on Sunday. BJD vice president Sanjay Das Burma said, "Patnaik is now stable and has recovered from the dehydration problem." Patnaik, the leader of opposition in the assembly, complained of uneasiness on Saturday night, and some doctors visited his residence, Naveen Niwas, BJD leaders said. Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan prayed for the sp

The BJD said that it would approach the Orissa High Court regarding "discrepancies" during the 2024 assembly and Lok Sabha polls, as the EC has "failed" to give any satisfactory reply to the regional outfit on the issue. BJD spokesperson Amar Patnaik, MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo and former MP Sarmistha Sethi made the announcement at a press conference here on Monday. "Around eight months ago, BJD had submitted fact-based evidence to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the vote discrepancy observed during last elections and sought a reply, but a satisfactory reply has not been received yet. Therefore, the Biju Janata Dal has decided to approach the High Court regarding this matter," Patnaik told reporters here. "Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has recently raised questions about the transparency of the elections, following which the party's state unit is also raising the issue now. However, the BJD had flagged this long before that. Gandhi also sought the audit system demanded

Odisha has achieved a tangible change in the school education system and ranked 5th in the country as per the Performance Grading Index (PGI-2.) between 2019-20 and 2023-2024 when BJD president Naveen Patnaik was the chief minister, officials said on Thursday. The state was ranked 14th rank in 2019-2020. The PGI 2.0 evaluates school education through 73 indicators across two categories: Outcomes and Governance & Management. BJD president Naveen Patnaik posted on X: "Glad to share that #Odisha has earned 5th rank nationally in School Grading System, as per Performance Grading Index (PGI-2.0) Report released by Government of India. Odisha has achieved score of 595.6 and secured PRACHESTA-3 grade for the academic year 2023-24, up from 14th in 2019. The PGI 2.0 evaluates school education through 73 indicators across two categories: Outcomes and Governance & Management." Patnaik was the chief minister of Odisha between 2000 and 2024. He is now the Leader of Opposition in Odisha ...

As BJD president and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik will undergo an operation for cervical arthritis at a private hospital in Mumbai on Sunday, a large number of party leaders and workers gathered at various temples and offered prayers for his successful surgery. A large number of senior BJD leaders and party workers gathered at Lingaraj Temple here, Baba Jhadeswar temple in Balasore district, Shiv temple at Hinjilicut and Budhi Thakurani at Berhampur in Ganjam district this morning and offered prayers for the former chief minister's successful surgery and healthy recovery. The regional party leaders and workers offered 'dipa dana' (earthen lamps) and 'puja' (worship) at Lingaraj temple here. "We all are gathered here to offer mass 'puja' and 'dipa dana' as our beloved leader Naveen Patnaik is undergoing a medical procedure today. We pray before Lord Lingaraj for his healthy recovery," said BJD vice president Debi Prasad Mishra. BJD leader and Bhubaneswar .

TMC MP from Krishnanagar Mahua Moitra is said to have married former MP Pinaki Misra in a quiet ceremony in Germany on June 3, though no official statement has been issued

Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who was chosen as the BJD president for the ninth time in a row, on Saturday called upon party workers to expose the alleged false narrative of the ruling BJP. BJD's organisational election returning officer PK Deb announced Patnaik as the party president at the state council meeting held at its state headquarters, Sankha Bhawan. Addressing party leaders and workers after being named as the BJD president, Patnaik said, "We conceded defeat in the last assembly election by a narrow margin, even though our party got more votes. This is because we couldn't effectively counter the false narrative. Creating a false narrative is the main strategy against the BJD. We should be aggressive in exposing this, especially on social media." The leader of opposition in the Odisha assembly also said, "We need to improve our social media presence. Technology should be used to tell the truth and the facts, and without technology, we cannot reach out to ...

Leader of the Opposition in Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the post of BJD president at Sankha Bhawan here. He was the sole candidate for the post. Patnaik has been elected as BJD president eight times in a row since the party's inception in 1997. He was last elected to the position in February 2020. Patnaik filed his nomination papers on the 28th death anniversary of his father Biju Patnaik, after whom the regional partyBiju Janata Dalis named. Without directly naming the BJP, Patnaik said, "Now some people are making deliberate attempts to demean the contribution and sacrifice of our great sons. Attempts are also being made to change the history. But they should remember that history reflects the connecting experience of a nation over a period of time. It cannot be changed at anybody's wishes." After filing the papers, Patnaik said the BJD government from 2000 to 2024 had achieved significant development for Odisha and brought ...

BJD lacks a clear successor to Naveen Patnaik, Abhishek Banerjee is yet to win over TMC's senior leaders, and BJP appears reluctant to align with JD(S) amid its electoral decline

A section of senior BJD leaders on Saturday demanded strong action against Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sasmit Patra for "creating confusion" among lawmakers ahead of the voting on Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the upper house of Parliament. Patra, also the leader of the BJD in Rajya Sabha, is in the eye of the storm after revealing that he had voted in favour of the contentious Bill. After the BJD announced it would oppose the Bill, and even party MP Muzibulla Khan spoke against it in Rajya Sabha on April 3, Patra put out a post on X before voting, stating that party MPs could vote "as per their conscience" and that there was no whip issued to them. This led to confusion among the lawmakers, and many senior leaders have raised questions about whether Patra could change the decision of Naveen Patnaik, who apart from being the BJD president, was also chairman of the parliamentary party. "I abstained from voting due to confusion... the party had earlier decided to oppose the B

Nearly 28,000 women and children were victims of atrocities in Odisha in 11 months till January 31, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida informed the state assembly on Saturday. While replying to a query from BJD MLA Sanjib Kumar Mallick, Parida, who heads the Women and Child Development Department, said, "As per information collected from the Crime Against Women and Children Wing of the Home Department, 27,973 women and children became victims of atrocities in the state in 11 months from January 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025." As per data provided by Parida, the maximum number of 2,099 women and children were tortured in Jajpur district, followed by Ganjam police district (1,823), Mayurbhanj (1,573), Bhadrak (1,371), Balasore (1,305), and Keonjhar (1,329). Similarly, 1,110 women and children from Dhenkanal, 1,102 from Cuttack, 1,201 in Jagatsinghpur and 1,089 in Cuttack Urban police district were victims of atrocities during the period, she stated. Informing the House about steps ta

Patnaik reiterated his party's stance, asserting that population should not be the sole criteria for determining the number of seats in the highest representative body of the country

The Crime Branch of Odisha Police on Thursday arrested Biju Yuva Janata Dal state vice-president Soumya Shankar Chakra, alias Raja Chakra, in connection with an alleged multi-crore mining and transport scam. The Orissa High Court on Wednesday rejected Chakra's plea seeking interim protection from arrest. Additional DGP, CID, Crime Branch Vinaytosh Mishra said Chakra was interrogated and asked to clarify his role in the scam and then he was arrested. The Economic Offence Wing of the Crime Branch had earlier in February 2025 registered a case based on a complaint of alleged irregularity in the functioning of Gandhamardan Loading (GML) Agency and a transporting cooperative society limited and misappropriation of funds of the cooperative society in the mineral-rich Keonjhar district. The cooperative society has been created for the welfare of villagers affected by the mining activities. "In the course of the investigation, it was found that the loading agency had earned around Rs 185

Amid allegations of fudging of electoral rolls, the Election Commission on Tuesday invited political parties for an interaction to strengthen the electoral process

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday dismissed suggestions that the BJP's stupendous victory in the Delhi assembly polls will have an impact in Bihar where elections are due later this year. The former deputy chief minister of Bihar also said that a return to power "after nearly 26 years" made it incumbent upon the BJP to fulfil the promises made to the people of Delhi. Yadav, who is now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, briefly replied to questions from journalists about the verdict in Delhi where INDIA bloc partner Aam Aadmi Party was voted out of power. "In a democracy, the people are supreme (janta maalik hai). The BJP has been voted to power after nearly 26 years. Hopefully, promises made to the people will be fulfilled and there will not be empty rhetoric (jumlebaazi)," Yadav said. The RJD leader, whose party has won the highest number of seats in the last two assembly polls in Bihar, was also asked about the claim of the BJP and its allies that upcoming ...