Naveen Patnaik Govt Has Reached Its Expiry Date: Dharmendra Pradhan's Jibe At BJD

Naveen Patnaik Govt Has Reached Its Expiry Date: Dharmendra Pradhan's Jibe At...

by Hemanta Pande

Jharsuguda, May 6 : Union Minister and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur, Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday launched a scathing attack on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik saying that the BJD government has reached its expiry date and BJP's government will be formed in the state.

"Odisha is a state of possibilities...PM Modi has pledged to better the lives of the poor. The govt here has reached its expiry date. BJP's govt will be formed in Odisha on June 10," he said.

Further, he attacked Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik by stating that despite making several promises to the people of Odisha, he failed to provide them with basic necessities such as drinking water and water for irrigation.

"He (Naveen Patnaik) showed many dreams to the people of Odisha but he could not even provide drinking water & water for irrigation to them. About 40 per cent of children do not study past matriculation here. PM Modi has raised hope for the poor and instilled confidence in women," he said.

Pradhan's comments come after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark that "June 4 is the expiry date of the BJD government, saying that "BJP is daydreaming about forming government in Odisha."

Sharing a video on X, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) media coordinator Saurabh Srivastava wrote, "BJP daydreaming about forming a government in Odisha, says CM Naveen Patnaik."

Earlier in the day, while addressing a public rally in Behrampur, PM Modi exuded confidence in the BJP forming a "double engine government" in Odisha for the first time and stated that he is glad to be present in the pious land of Lord Jagannath.

"June 4 is the expiry date of the BJD government... On June 4, BJP's CM face will be announced. On June 10, the swearing-in ceremony of BJP's CM will take place, in Bhubaneswar. Today, I am here to invite all of you to the swearing-in ceremony of BJP's CM," he said.

Also Read: 'BJP CM will take oath in Odisha on June 10', roars PM Modi at Berhampur rally

The state of Odisha will hold Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections in four phases from May 13 to June 1, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.

In the 2019 Assembly election, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won 112 out of 146 seats, while Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) won 23 seats and Congress won 9.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won the majority of seats in the state, while the BJP and the Congress brought up the rear. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8, and the Congress bagged just a lone seat. (ANI)

IPL 2024: PBKS Opt To Bat First Against SRH In Hyderabad

by Hemanta Pande

Hyderabad, May 19: Punjab Kings (PBKS) stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in match 69 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, here on Sunday.

In the absence of Sam Curran, Jitesh is leading the team. Punjab will be missing a bunch of their overseas players in the match as most of them have returned home to prepare for the T20 World Cup with only Rilee Rossouw featuring in the playing XI.

"We would like to bat. I think wicket is looking good, we want to score big and put SRH under pressure. Proud and grateful to captain my side today. We have few options because all the overseas have gone. Only Rilee Rossouw is gonna play. We have exciting talent waiting for their opportunity and they are gonna give their best today. Nothing to lose today, we are here to play some good cricket," Jitesh said at at the toss.

On the other hand, Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins made only one change as Rahul Tripathi has returned to the team. "The fans have been awesome this season here. We are pretty well set-up for both (bat first or ball first. I'm a terrible reader of wickets, looks like a nice wicket. Looks dry and firm. Only one change for us. Rahul Tripathi comes in for a bowler," he said.

The home side is coming after a washout against Gujarat Titans while Punjab Kings defeated Rajasthan Royals by five wickets in their last game.

A win for Hyderabad will bolster their hopes of finishing in top two places as table toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will lock horns in the final league stage encounter in the evening.

Currently, KKR lead the list with 19 points followed by Rajasthan (16 points), Hyderabad (15 points) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (14 points), respectively.

Teams:

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Rahul Tripathi, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, T Natarajan.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Travis Head, Umran Malik, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Jaydev Unadkat

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Ashutosh Sharma, Shivam Singh, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar.

Punjab Kings Impact Subs: Arshdeep Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Prince Choudhary, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Harpreet Singh Bhatia(IANS)

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Over $239 Mn Raised By 26 Indian Startups In Funding Last Week

by Pabitra Mohan Senapaty

New Delhi, May 19: More than $239 million was raised by 26 Indian startups in funding last week, which includes nine growth-stage deals and 15 early-stage deals.

Two early-stage startups did not disclose the amount raised, reports Entrackr.

In the week of May 6-11, around 24 early and growth-stage startups collectively raised nearly $320 million in funding.

Among the growth-stage deals, seven startups secured around $207.2 million in funding last week. Microfinance firm Annapurna Finance secured the highest funding of $72 million.

This was followed by battery tech startup Battery Smart, Propelld, which provides education loans to borrowers via online channels, and ambulance service provider Red.

Health and manufactures drones for applications in agriculture, defence, and enterprise sectors Dhaksha, which raised $45 million, $25 million, $20 million, and $18 million, respectively.

Moreover, 15 early-stage startups secured funding worth $32.5 million last week.

Domestic aggregator providing end-to-end cold-chain solutions Celcius Logistics topped the list, followed by mobility and energy solutions startup Matel, authentication and access management platform OTPless, marketing SaaS (software-as-a-service) platform Highperformr.ai, and sports tech company Stupa Sports.