Page 2 - Naveen Pattnaik

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.

Lok Sabha elections: Several leaders, workers of BJD join BJP in Odisha

BJP's Pradhan said that the members and leaders of other parties are joining the BJP as the people's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi is increasing

LS polls: 2 former India hockey team captains fighting elections in Odisha

They have played captain innings in astroturf while representing the Indian hockey team, but this time they are trying their luck in the electoral battlefield in Sundergarh district, often referred to as the cradle of hockey in Odisha. They are Hockey India president and former Rajya Sabha MP Dilip Tirkey and ex-Indian hockey team captain Prabodh Tirkey. While Dilip Tirkey is the ruling Biju Janata Dal candidate for the Sundergarh (ST) Lok Sabha constituency, his junior and former India hockey captain, Prabodh Tirkey is the Congress candidate from the Talsara (ST) assembly segment also in Sundergarh district. Both the BJD and Congress have picked Dilip Tirkey and Prabodh Tirkey in the electoral battle as Sundergarh is known as the cradle of hockey in the state and the game is very popular among the masses. According to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, "Hockey is a way of life in tribal-dominated Sundergarh where toddlers start walking with hockey sticks." Dilip Tirkey, 46, is

We will make govt on our own, no alliance with BJD, says Odisha BJP Prez

Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal on Thursday asserted that his party will form the next government in the state "on its own", amid talks of a pre-poll alliance with the BJD. Samal, who along with senior state BJP leaders held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Wednesday night on the possibility of the alliance, did not make any reference to such a prospect. BJP will form the government in the state alone with the blessings and cooperation of people, he told reporters after returning from the national capital in the morning. Leaders of the BJD were also set to hold a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the afternoon over the issue. Simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the assembly will be held in Odisha.

LS polls 2024: Panneerselvam, Dhinakaran hold seat-sharing talks with BJP

Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam and AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran held late night seat-sharing talks with the BJP here for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with OPS insisting that his candidates will contest from the Two Leaves symbol. The former chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) exuded confidence that the popular Two Leaves symbol of the AIADMK would be allotted to him by the EC. The talks that started late on Tuesday extended to the early hours of Wednesday. OPS and Dhinakaran, who had announced joining the BJP-led NDA two days ago, were in discussion with a delegation of the saffron party comprising Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and its Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai among others. Speaking to reporters later, OPS, as Panneerselvam is addressed, said the NDA coalition was a "mega alliance" and there were chances that "2-3 people (parties)" could seek the same constituency. An amicable decision will be arrived at after talks, he said. Asked if he would 'claim' the Two Leaves

BJD-BJP alliance possible in Odisha: Saffron party to decide today

The BJP is likely to announce its decision on the possible formation of an alliance with the BJD in Odisha on Wednesday ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state, sources said. Top state BJP leaders held a series of meetings in Delhi for the past three days, they said. The BJD is not ready to reveal its cards, while the state BJP leaders - president Manmohan Samal, election in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar and others - have been camping in the national capital. BJP state leaders held a series of meetings at the residence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the sources said. A section of state BJP leaders were against stitching an alliance with the BJD, which dumped the saffron party ahead of the 2009 general elections, months after a riot in Kandhamal the previous year, they said. The issue of alliance between the BJD and BJP came for discussion after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Odisha on March 5. The next day, the BJD held a meeting of its senior ...

More than 10,000 people have applied for BJD tickets for LS, Assembly polls

More than 10,000 people have applied for Biju Janata Dal (BJD) tickets for the upcoming Lok Sabha and the Odisha Assembly elections which will be held simultaneously, a senior party leader said. The Odisha Assembly has a strength of 147 MLAs while there are 21 Lok Sabha MP seats in the state. "More than 10,000 people, including many professionals, have applied for party tickets for the coming polls", BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das said in a post on X. "We strongly believe that BJD is moving towards a historic victory in this election with the blessings of 4.5 crore people of Odisha", Das said. The BJD leader claimed that the people of Odisha have already made up their minds to install Naveen Patnaik as the chief minister for the sixth consecutive time. "The BJD is all set to register a massive victory in the upcoming elections", Das claimed. The BJD leader claimed that all the national-level survey reports in recent years have found Naveen Patnaik as the number o

Former Congress MLA Anshuman Mohanty whot quit 2 days ago, joins BJD

Former Congress MLA Anshuman Mohanty joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal here. Mohanty, who was also the Congress Kendrapara District president, had quit the party two days ago. Many of his supporters also joined the BJD in the presence of senior leaders including organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das at the BJD headquarters here on Friday. Later Mohanty visited Naveen Niwas, the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and met him. Mohanty was the Rajnagar MLA from 2014 to 2019. He, however, lost the 2019 election to BJD's Dhruba Sahoo.

Odisha CM Patnaik lays foundation stone for JSW's Rs 65K cr steel facility

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday laid the foundation stone for a steel project of JSW Group to be set up at an estimated investment of Rs 65,000 crore. The proposed project would have an annual steel manufacturing capacity of 13.2 million tonne (MT) with a captive power plant and captive jetties with cargo-handling capacity, JSW Steel said in a BSE filing. The complex at Dhinkia Nuagaon and Gadakujanga under Jagatsinghpur district will also have a cement manufacturing unit and modern township and other components, it said. The chief minister was joined by JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal and his son Parth Jindal, State Industries Minister Pratap Keshari Deb and other senior company and government officials. "The integrated steel project by JSW Steel is expected to drive economic growth in the region by fostering a robust ancillary and downstream ecosystem with employment potential of approximately 30,000 direct & indirect jobs," the company said. The Industrial ...

Veteran BJD leader, 10-time Odisha MLA V Sugnana Kumari Deo dies at 87

Veteran BJD leader and 10-time Odisha MLA V Sugnana Kumari Deo died at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday while undergoing treatment, officials said. She was 87. Deo breathed her last at about 1 am after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other senior party leaders met her at the hospital on Friday night, they said. She belonged to the royal family of Khallikote. Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and many other dignitaries expressed their condolence on the demise of Deo. "Saddened to know about the demise of V Sugnana Kumar Deo. She was a very senior leader of BJD and she made a lot of contributions towards the party. She has left her mark in the public service by representing both Khalikote and Kabisuryanagar. She was elected to the Assembly 10 times, It is an irreparable loss. May her soul rest in peace and my deepest condolence to the bereaved family", Patnaik said in a post on X. Deo was first elected to

Politics should not be done on sensitive crime issues: Odisha CM Patnaik

Recalling the efforts made by his government during the COVID-19 pandemic, CM Patnaik said that oxygen produced in Odisha saved thousands of lives throughout the country

PM Modi to visit Odisha, address first public meeting in state in 5 yrs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Odisha on Saturday afternoon to unveil projects worth Rs 68,400 crore, including the new campus of IIM-Sambalpur, officials said. During the visit, Modi will address a public meeting, his first in the state in nearly five years. The prime minister will reach the Jharsuguda airport around 1 pm, and head to the IIM-Sambalpur campus where CM Naveen Patnaik, Governor Raghubar Das and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will join him, they said. Besides the Rs 400-crore campus, Modi will also unveil infrastructure projects worth Rs 68,000 crore. These projects span sectors such as power, roads and railways. Modi will address a public meeting at Remed Ground around 3 pm, before leaving for Guwahati, officials said. He had addressed the last public meeting in the state in April 2019 in Kendrapara in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls and assembly elections in the state, which were held simultaneously. The prime minister visited the state