Sujit Bisoyi

“The CM has said the people of Odisha will select the leader... Naveen Babu won’t allow BJD to be orphaned. He has plans. Contrast it to BJP... they can’t come up with a CM face”

BJD chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik released the manifesto along with senior party leader V K Pandian.

Buoyed by its growing vote share over the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the BJP central leadership has been pushing hard to wrest Berhampur in Ganjam district from the BJD.

PM Modi promises to restore sanctity of Ratna Bhandar of Puri temple after BJP govt is formed in Odisha; underlines Odisha’s strength is 100 times that of Gujarat.

With Patnaik's popularity remaining high, BJP is raking up ‘Odia asmita' in its canvassing, targeting his confidant Pandian, Tamil-born ex-bureaucrat who has emerged as BJD's virtual No. 2 and campaign spearhead

“The central leadership did not send any senior leader to campaign in Koraput. Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to address a rally but it was cancelled …,” says local Congress leader.

Ganjam SP Jagmohan Meena said police would take action regarding the arrests after an FIR is filed.

Sources say some of the injured recently switched over from ruling BJD to BJP expressing unhappiness over candidate selection.

Voters in Hinjili, CM's seat since 2000, agree he is “a good man”, but add “he could not set up even a needle factory”; in Kantabanji, won by Cong last time, the problems of migration, water scarcity are starker

Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo lost in 2019 from Patnagarh Assembly seat after holding it for 24 years due to caste factor; wife Sangeeta had won Balangir in 2019 after two repeat losses