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Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to be leader of opposition in Assembly

Former CM Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said he would be the leader of the opposition in the Odisha assembly. Speaking to reporters, Patnaik said the decision was taken at the BJD's legislature party meeting. "We had a meeting of the MLAs of the BJD. I congratulated and thanked them. They have elected me as the leader of the opposition and leader of the BJD legislature party," he said. Senior MLA Prasanna Acharya was named the deputy leader of the opposition, while former speaker Pramila Mallik would be the chief whip of the opposition in the House. Patnaik named Pratap Keshari Deb as the deputy chief whip of the opposition in the assembly. The BJD, which ruled the state for 24 years, lost power to the BJP in the recently concluded assembly elections.

Naveen Patnaik likely to become leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly

BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to become the Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly as the regional outfit has scheduled its first legislature party meeting on Wednesday. This could be Patnaik's first time as leader of opposition (LoP) in his political career, which began in 1997. Patnaik served as the CM of Odisha five consecutive times from 2000 until June 2024. If Patnaik takes on the role of LoP, the party may elect a deputy leader to handle day-to-day activities in the Assembly, party sources said. In the 147-member Assembly, the BJP has 78 members, followed by the BJD with 51, Congress (14), CPIM 3, and Independents 3. In the last Assembly, the BJD had 113 MLAs. While Patnaik is expected to be unanimously elected as LoP, one of the senior leaders of the party is likely to be his deputy in the House. Given the saffron surge, many senior leaders lost their seats, but a few managed to retain it. Senior BJD leaders who won include Prasanna Ach

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

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

Odisha CM likely to be chosen in BJP Parliamentary Party meet on June 7

The chief minister of Odisha's maiden government of the BJP is likely to be selected during its Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi on Friday, leaders of the saffron camp said. The BJP trounced the BJD, which was ruling the state for 24 years in a row, winning 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. Three of these 78 MLAs were ministers in the state earlier but it is not essential that the chief minister would be chosen from among the new assembly members only, a senior BJP leader said on Thursday. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was elected from Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, however, is also one of the front-runners for the chief minister's job. Besides him, names of senior MLAs Suresh Pujari, Jayanarayan Mishra and K V Singh Deo are also doing the rounds as probable candidates for the chair. "The Parliamentary Party is the highest decision-making body of the BJP and it will meet in New Delhi tomorrow," Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi said. The Parliamentary

'We have nothing to be ashamed of': Outgoing CM Patnaik tells BJD MLAs

Outgoing CM Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that when he took charge of Odisha 70 per cent of the state's population was living below the poverty line, and during his 24-year tenure, he brought it down to 10 per cent. Meeting the newly-elected MLAs of his party, he said the BJD would continue to work for the state. "When I first became the CM, 70 per cent of the people of Odisha were living below the poverty line. Now, only 10 per cent people are below it. Our efforts in agriculture and irrigation sectors and women empowerment have led to this achievement. We have nothing to be ashamed of," he told the MLAs. Patnaik, who also heads the BJD as its president, said that his party has served the people of Odisha for the last 24 years and would continue to work for the state. Earlier in the day, Patnaik tendered his resignation to Governor Raghubar Das, following the defeat of his party in the assembly polls. BJP stormed to power in Odisha by securing 78 of the 147 assembly seats, whi

Congress takes dig at BJD, YSRCP after parties face crushing defeats

The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at the BJD and YSRCP after they suffered crushing defeats in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls, saying that from the BJP's "B-teams" they have become the "has-been" teams. The BJP on Tuesday stormed to power in Odisha by dethroning the BJD which has been in power for the last 24 years. The BJD drew a blank in the Lok Sabha polls. The Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP suffered a crushing defeat in the assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh at the hands of the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP in the assembly polls. The YSRCP secured just four seats in the Lok Sabha polls. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Over the past ten years, the BJD was the B-team of the BJP in Parliament. It supported Mr. Modi on every issue." "Over the past ten years, YSRCP was another B-team of the BJP, which supported Mr. Modi on every issue. From B-teams, they have become the has-been teams," Ramesh said. This is what happens to regional parties who place their trust in

BJP ends BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik's stint as Odisha chief minister

In terms of vote share, the BJP got 39.89 per cent votes, up from 32.8 per cent in 2019. The BJD, on the other hand, saw its vote share dip to 40.18 per cent from 45.2 per cent in the last elections

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

Exit poll results highlights: Surveys predict 350 paar for NDA, three-peat for PM Modi

Lok Sabha Elections Exit Poll Results 2024 Updates: Catch all the latest updates on the exit polls for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 here

if Cong voted to power, poor in Odisha will get Rs 26K each month: Leader

If the Congress is voted to power in Odisha and at the Centre, each poor family in the state will get financial assistance of at least Rs 26,000 per month, a party leader said on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference here, Congress leader Ajoy Kumar said if the party forms a government in Odisha, it will provide poor women with the assistance of Rs 2,000 under the 'Gruh Laxmi Yojana', Rs 2,000 pension to farmers, widows, persons with disabilities and old age people. Similarly, the Congress has promised to provide the people of Odisha with up to 200-unit free electricity, which will be around Rs 2,000 per month. The MSP of paddy will be enhanced to Rs 3,000 per quintal while the LPG cylinder will be made available at Rs 500, he said. If the Congress comes to power here, it will provide each poor family of the state with around Rs 10,000 per month, said Kumar, the AICC in-charge of Odisha. Similarly, if the INDIA bloc is voted to power at the Centre, the central government will ...

LS polls: MLA breaks EVM, attacks polling officer inside booth in Odisha

A sitting MLA and BJP candidate allegedly broke an EVM and attacked a polling officer inside a booth during voting in Odisha which recorded a voter turnout of over 60.97 per cent in six Lok Sabha seats and 42 assembly segments, officials said. Two persons - a woman polling officer and a polling agent - died during voting in different booths in Barabati-Cuttack and Hindol assembly segments. An elderly woman voter who fell ill inside a polling booth in Nayagarh assembly seat died in a hospital, officials said. BJP's Khurda assembly segment candidate Prasant Jagdev, who is the sitting MLA of Chilika, was detained for allegedly barging into the booth along with his followers, breaking an EVM and assaulting a polling officer injuring him seriously. Officials said the incident followed an altercation inside a booth in Begunia assembly segment, where he had gone to cast his vote. Jagdev, who joined BJP after being expelled from BJD, later staged a dharna in a police station against his ..

Battleground 2024: Stage set in Delhi as 58 seats go to polls in Phase VI

Anantnag, Puri, Sultanpur in focus; all 7 seats in Delhi, 10 in Haryana to vote

Lok Sabha polls: In Cuttack, it's seasoned MP vs corporate veteran

The Congress has fielded Suresh Mohapatra, whose challenge would be to improve the vote share from 9.5% that his party received in 2019

LS polls highlights: INDIA bloc allies abuse each other in Punjab, says PM Modi

General Elections 2024: Catch all the latest news updates on the Lok Sabha polls here

If 'double engine' govt in Odisha, bulldozers to run over mafia: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said if the 'double engine' government is formed in Odisha, bulldozers will be used against all kinds of mafia. Addressing an election rally in the Chilika assembly constituency under the Puri Lok Sabha seat, Yogi said, Give us strength to form a double engine government in Odisha so that we can clear the path by running bulldozers on 'land, sand, forest and cattle' mafia in the state, as we did in Uttar Pradesh." The term "double engine" is used by BJP leaders to refer to the party being in power at the Centre as well as in a state. The BJD government is surrounded by servile coterie and when they surround any government, it gives birth to dictatorship. Then corruption increases, the poor are exploited and the administration collapses, he alleged.

LS polls highlights: If INDIA bloc wins election, partners will decide on PM's name, says Kharge

General Elections 2024: Catch all the latest news updates on the Lok Sabha polls here

Odisha lost 25 years of development under 25-year BJD rule: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted that Odisha lost 25 years of development under the 25-year BJD rule in the state, during which various sectors like healthcare, education and infrastructure got derailed. Shah, addressing a poll rally at Nayagarh, also sought clarification from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the missing keys of Puri Jagannath temple's Ratna Bhandar. Odisha is the most prosperous state in the country, but people of the state are poor. If you want to get rid of this, you need to vote for (Narendra) Modi ji and make him the PM again. You gave Naveen babu 25 years, but the state lost 25 years of development, he said at the public meeting. Odisha's healthcare, education system and infrastructure got derailed under the BJD rule; only PM Modi can bring these back on track, he asserted. Shah also said after coming to power, the BJP government will punish those responsible for the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar. I want to ask Naveen babu, where are the

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