Congress Eyes Revival In South Odisha; Rahul, Revanth To Hit Campaign Trail On May 3

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Congress Eyes Revival In South Odisha; Rahul, Revanth To Hit Campaign Trail O...

by Hemanta Pande

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth and Reddy will hold an election rally in Odisha’s Rayagada district on May 3, Friday, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) said on Monday.

Bhubaneswar, April 29: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth and Reddy will hold an election rally in Odisha’s Rayagada district on May 3, Friday, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) said on Monday.

Bordering Andhra Pradesh, Rayagada which comes under Koraput Lok Sabha constituency, has socio-cultural affinities with the undivided Andhra Pradesh as it has got a sizable number of Telugu-speaking population.

Apart from the party's Koraput, Behrampur and Nabarangpur Lok Sabha candidates, thousands of Congress workers and leaders from Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Gajapati districts will join the rally, sources informed.

Congress which ruled Odisha for more than four decades, is now the third major force in Odisha politics after the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition party. Its vote share in the state dipped to 16 per cent in 2019. Of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state, it could win only one seat — Koraput — in 2019. In South Odisha, the party could win only two assembly seats – Jeypore in Koraput district and Mohana in Gajapati district. Though the grand old party won only nine of the 147 assembly seats in the state with a vote share of only 16 per cent, its vote share in South Odisha stood at 25 per cent.

“We will win at least 40 seats in south and western Odisha districts this time. People of Odisha are now frustrated with the BJD government which is very much hand-in-glove with the BJP. Both the parties are systematically exploiting the people of Odisha,” said OPCC campaign committee chairperson Bhakta Charan Das.

Das informed that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also carry out a massive election campaign in South Odisha.

“Priyanka Gandhi will address an election rally in Nabarangpur on May 10. The OPCC is in the process of finalizing Mallikarjun Kharge’s campaign,” said the OPCC campaign committee chairperson.

Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a poll rally at Salipur in Cuttack district, had targeted the ruling BJD saying it had looted the state’s mineral resources, pushed the state into poverty and left the youths in a state hopelessness sans suitable job opportunities for them.

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After CEO, Ola Cabs CFO Karthik Gupta Steps Down Within 7 Months

by Hemanta Pande

New Delhi, May 16: Ride-hailing platform Ola Cabs has witnessed another top-level exit as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of ANI Technologies (the parent firm) Karthik Gupta has stepped down seven months after taking charge.

Gupta's exit comes two weeks after the company's CEO Hemant Bakshi quit.

According to the company, Gupta's departure is part of an "ongoing restructuring" process.

"As part of an ongoing restructuring, Ola Mobility CFO Karthik Gupta has stepped down from the company. This restructuring is aimed at productivity enhancement in an AI-led era that is redefining the cab-hailing industry globally," an Ola spokesperson told IANS.

The spokesperson also said that the restructuring process will allow Ola to "strengthen cost structures, focus on growth and increase its bottom line".

According to his LinkedIn profile, Gupta joined Ola Cabs seven months ago and was in charge of financial strategy, growth, regulatory compliance, tax, treasury, and investor relations. He spent over 17 years as Procter & Gamble's Vice President and regional CFO for Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa before joining Ola.

Last month, the ride-hailing platform announced job cuts.

Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal addressed staff in a letter about a restructuring exercise to improve profitability and prepare for future growth. The restructuring process will reportedly affect at least 10 per cent of the company's workforce.

Meanwhile, the company has appointed Ola founder's brother Ankush Aggarwal as the Chief Executive Officer of Ola Financial Services. (IANS)

Time Has Come To Save Odisha From 'Officer Raj' BJD Govt: JP Nadda

by Hemanta Pande

Padampur/Sundargarh, May 16: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J P Nadda on Thursday urged the people of Odisha to exercise their franchise in favour of the BJP candidates, both for the ongoing Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections, to save the State from the 'officer raj' in the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government.

Nadda made the remark at two election rallies in Padampur under Bargarh Lok Sabha seat and Sundargarh parliamentary constituency.

ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ପଦ୍ମପୁରର ଏକ ବିଶାଳ ଜନସଭାକୁ ସମ୍ବୋଧିତ କଲି।

ବର୍ତ୍ତମାନ ରାଜ୍ୟରେ ସରକାର ଅଫିସରଙ୍କ ଦ୍ଵାରା ପରିଚାଳିତ ହେଉଥିବା ବେଳେ ନିର୍ବାଚିତ ପ୍ରତିନିଧିମାନେ ନିରବଦ୍ରଷ୍ଟା ସାଜିଛନ୍ତି। ଏବେ ଓଡ଼ିଶାବାସୀଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ସମୟ ଆସିଛି ଏପରି ଏକ ନେତା ବାଛିବାର ଯିଏ ଓଡ଼ିଶାରୁ ହୋଇଥିବେ, ଓଡ଼ିଆ କହୁଥିବେ ଓ ଓଡ଼ିଶାବାସୀଙ୍କ ସବୁଦିନିଆ… pic.twitter.com/kT6jOiCwlq — Jagat Prakash Nadda (Modi Ka Parivar) (@JPNadda) May 16, 2024

The BJP president highlighted how the Government officials are running the BJD government in the State while the elected MLAs and MPs have been made redundant.

"Do you need such a government? Officials are running the government here while MLAs/MPs have been made redundant. Do MLAs wield any power in the state? There is only one person who is taking the stage here and there is no place for the MPs and the MLAs. Are you able to meet your Chief Minister? Does he speak to you in Odia?", Nadda asked the gathering in both the places.

Nadda emphasised the necessity for a young, locally rooted Chief Minister who actively manages daily administration, stressing the importance of preserving Odisha's cultural identity and pride.

"Now the time has come for the people of Odisha to elect a leader who is from Odisha, speaks Odia and will be a companion during the happiness and sorrows of the people of State," Nadda said.

While seeking votes for BJP candidates, Nadda accused the BJD government of being corrupt. "Will you allow corrupt people to return power? It is the time to bless the BJP and help it form the government in the state," he said.

Nadda also targeted the BJD government over the issue of missing keys of Ratna Bhandar, the treasury of Jagannath Temple in Puri, echoing concerns previously expressed by PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Also Read: Pradhan Condemns Pre-Poll Violence In Khallikote, Condoles BJP Worker's Death

The saffron leader appealed the people to press the lotus button at the polling station in the ongoing general elections, adding that the new BJP government in the State would open the temple's treasury.

The BJP chief also came down heavily on the BJD government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the State. He also said nearly 68 lakh families were deprived of Rs 5 lakh health cover due to the non-implementation of the scheme in Odisha.

Referring to BJD government's alleged misrule, Nadda said, "People of Odisha will not tolerate anymore. They will vote for the lotus symbol twice, one for MP and another for MLA, and get double development in the State."

Nadda also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been very concerned towards the development of Odisha.

"Modi has always ensured the state's development. He increased the grant-in-aid and also established a permanent campus of IIM at Sambalpur," he said.

"The allocation in the railway budget for Odisha was increased 12 times and 4,300 km of national highways were laid in the state. The third railway line connecting Manoharpur-Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Jamga is under progress," he added.

The BJP chief also mentioned that the Modi government provided 5 kg rice and 1 kg dal to each family holding a ration card. "Under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, about 11.78 crore farmers, including those in Odisha, are getting Rs 6,000 annually," he said.

Congress Eyes Revival In South Odisha; Rahul, Revanth To Hit Campaign Trail On May 3

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