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Addressing a press conference here, Pradhan said, "We believe in the motto of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vishwas'. In accordance with it, we will make a provision of pension for journalists."

"The journalists' accreditation policy will be modified to expand its purview so that individual scribes, working at the subdivision level, are also included," he added.

The Union Minister said there is no democracy in Odisha as the journalists are barred from entering any government offices from the district to state level. He also said that if the BJP government comes to power, restrictions on the entry of media persons in various government offices will be lifted.

Pradhan said that Odisha needs a "double-engine government" and the 'Sankalp Patra' of the state BJP unit focuses on the region's culture, tourism, and overall development.

The Minister said that the BJP has stressed on farmers’ welfare the most in its manifesto, adding that the BJP government will ensure the payment of Rs 3,100 per quintal to the paddy farmers within 48 hours of procurement of paddy from the mandis.

The BJP leader mentioned that women will get a Rs 50,000 cash voucher as a financial gift under the 'Subhadra Jojana'. "They can encash the Rs 50,000 over a period of two years. And 25 lakh women will be made Lakhpati Didis," he said.

Also Read: Pradhan Poses Five Questions To CM Naveen Over 'Poverty And Backwardness' In Resource-Rich Odisha

The BJP promises to fill 1.5 lakh vacant government posts while 65,000 posts will be completed within two years, he added.
"We will implement the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, which the Naveen Patnaik government has been resisting," he said.

Pradhan said all the promises made in the manifesto are a "Modi guarantee".

Simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be held in Odisha in four phases, starting May 13. Polling in Sambalpur parliamentary constituency will be held on May 25.

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Polling was held in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam during the third phase on Tuesday -- Kokrajhar (ST), Dhubri, Barpeta, and Guwahati -- recording a voter turnout of around 75 per cent, as per provisional figures issued by the poll panel.

Of the 25 Lok Sabha seats across the eight northeastern states, voting was held in 15 seats, including one partly (Outer Manipur), in the first phase on April 19, in seven seats (one partly, Outer Manipur) in the second phase on April 26, while four seats went to the polls in the third phase on Tuesday.

In the first phase, elections were held in five seats in Assam, two seats each in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur (one partly), and Meghalaya, one in Tripura, and the lone seats in Nagaland, Mizoram, and Sikkim. In the second phase, voting was held in five seats in Assam, the second seat in Tripura, while polling was completed in the Outer Manipur seat.

Along with the Lok Sabha polls, 50 of the 60 Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh also went to the polls on April 19. BJP candidates, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, won unopposed in the 10 other seats.

The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh will be taken up on June 2, while the results of the Lok Sabha elections will be announced on June 4.

In the first phase on April 19, Tripura recorded the highest turnout at 81.48 per cent, followed by Sikkim (79.88 per cent), Assam (78.25 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (77.68 per cent), Meghalaya (76.60 per cent), Manipur (76.10 per cent), Nagaland (57.72 per cent), and Mizoram (56.87. per cent).

In the second phase on April 26, Manipur registered the maximum voter turnout at 84.85 per cent, followed by Assam (81.17 per cent), and Tripura (80.36 per cent). (IANS) 

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The Chikkodi parliamentary seat, which witnessed a tough fight between BJP’s Annasaheb Jolle and Priyanka Jarkiholi, the daughter of state PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, recorded the highest voting at 72.75 per cent at 5 p.m., against 59.69 per cent by 3 p.m.

The Kalaburagi seat from where Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani is contesting, recorded 57.20 per cent voting, the lowest in the state so far. He faces sitting MP Umesh Jadhav of the BJP.

The high-profile Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, from where former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra faces late CM S Bangarappa’s daughter Geetha Shivarajkumar and expelled BJP leader KS Eshwarappa, recorded 72.07 per cent voting, against 57.96 per cent till 3 p.m., 44.98 per cent till 1 p.m., 27.22 per cent till 11 a.m. and 11.39 per cent till 9 a.m..

Uttara Kannada Parliamentary seat registered a voter turnout of 69.57 per cent. Former Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri of the BJP faces Congress candidate Dr. Anjali Nimbalkar here.

Another high-profile parliamentary seat Dharwad from where Union Minister Pralhad Joshi is contesting against Congress poll debutant Vinod Asuti had seen 67.15 per cent voting, up from 55 per cent at 3 p.m. and 40.61 per cent by 1 p.m.

The Haveri and Belagavi constituencies, from where former CMs Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar, respectively, are the BJP candidates, logged 71.90 per cent and 65.67 per cent turnout.

Ballary Lok Sabha seat saw 68.94 per cent polling, Bagalkot 65.55 per cent, Bijapur 60.95 per cent, Raichur 59.48 per cent, Bidar 60.17 per cent, Koppal 66.05 per cent, and Davanagere 70.90 per cent.

The bye-election for the Shorapur Assembly constituency in Yadgir District, also being held simultaneously, recorded 66.72 per cent turnout.

The BJP has fielded Raju Gowda aka Narasimha Naik as its candidate and Raja Venugopal Naik is the Congress candidate. The bye-election is being held following the death of the Congress MLA Raja Venkatappa Naik.(IANS) 

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